


Cat Owner’s Guide to the Feline World (unabridged)

by salakavala



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Boys Kissing, Cat Loki (Marvel), Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Humor, Loki and Thor Are Not Related, Loki is actually human, Lokitty, M/M, Now also:, References to something similar that happened to Loki in Infinity War, Sharing a Bed, Sif is a Lokitty stan, Slow Romance, This really does get quite sweet 'n' fluffy, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-08-06 09:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16385678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salakavala/pseuds/salakavala
Summary: Congratulations! If you are holding this book, you are probably thinking of acquiring your first cat, or have already done so. This must-have cat owner’s manual is your key to caring for your new feline companion in the way it deserves, and a foolproof insurance against most surprises that the first-time pet owners usually encounter. Learn to understand your cat, and you will see that there is more to your darling kitty than first meets the eye!Thor accidentally adopts a cat. Or so he thinks.





	1. Introduction: Help! I Have a Cat

**Author's Note:**

> I have promised you fluff, and this is me making good on that promise. Some few thousand words of Lokitty fluff ahead, for your enjoyment (and mine).
> 
> This fic is wholly finished, though each new chapter needs to be transcribed from notebook to pc. Other than that, no major delays should occur.
> 
> This fic now has a Russian translation! Follow here for [Гид для владельца кота по кошачьему миру (без сокращений)](https://ficbook.net/readfic/8090391). :)

  

“Aw,” said Sif, “You've adopted a cat!”

“I always took you for a dog kind of guy,” Val said, with considerably less enthusiasm.

“Yeah, well,” said Thor to both of them.

In truth he hadn't as much adopted the cat as the cat had adopted him. It had started visiting Thor's tiny backyard near the end of summer, a furry black hole napping in the shade of his rose bushes every other day. Thor hadn't minded it, and when the heat wave had hit the town, he had started leaving out a little bowl with fresh water for his self-invited guest. Once or twice he had caught the cat perusing it, but it had never drunk the water when Thor had been watching. Still, the bowl had almost always been empty when Thor had checked it, so it probably hadn't gone to waste. The cat had been somewhat skittish and never allowed Thor too close before darting into bushes, but Thor had nevertheless caught a glimpse of a green collar around its neck, so he'd figured the cat was someone's pet and allowed it to come and go as it pleased. Why it had fixated on his backyard he'd had no idea, but since the cat hadn't been a trouble, he hadn't thought much of it.

But then had come the autumn, and the cat had been still there, curled under its favourite spot in the rose bushes. September had been warm and pleasant, but when October had followed, and with it the rains, Thor had started to wonder. He'd never known much about cats, but he had always thought they were creatures of comfort, and certainly wouldn't enjoy shivering morosely under thorny leafless bushes. He had one day made himself a mug of hot chocolate and spent an evening at his laptop browsing his local Facebook group and the local paper, but found no ads about missing cats whatsoever. It had started to look more and more like someone had got a cat but then decided that taking care of it was too much of a bother after all.

It had been one particularly cold November morning, with hoarfrost covering the grass outside, when Thor had entered his living-room to an imploring pair of green eyes staring at him through his balcony window – the cat had hopped on his little garden table and leant its little paws against the glass.

It had meowed and looked utterly miserable, and because Thor wasn't made of stone, he had opened the balcony door. As soon as he had as much as cracked it open, the cat had jumped off the table and dashed right in between his feet. Thor had tried to shoo it back out – he had actually only wanted to check if something was amiss – but the cat had hidden under the sofa and refused to come out, and then Thor had had to hurry to work, so he had exasperatedly left some milk in a bowl for the sneaky animal and left.

When he'd returned home, fully intending to chase his little intruder back out, he had found the cat peacefully dozing on his bed like the bed belonged to it. When he had entered the bedroom, the cat had sleepily raised its head and made an adorable little _mwarp_ sound, and. Well. Thor had sort of found himself headed for the nearest 24/7 for a few cans of cat food, cursing and shivering in the cold, questioning all his recent life choices.

That had been that. Thor had left his balcony door open multiple times in the course of the next few days, but the cat hadn't even acknowledged it beyond sparing it a derisive look and making a show of curling on its new favourite spot on Thor's sofa. As his last straw Thor had put an ad of a found cat in the newspaper, but when no one answered it, he had been forced to start considering the fact that he had apparently become a cat owner.

Meanwhile the cat had familiarised itself with its new home, and once it had been certain Thor wasn't going to cast it out, it had started to allow Thor close enough that he could check its name. _Loki_ , said the golden tag on the green collar, and so _Loki_ had the cat become to Thor as well.

Thor had been on first name terms with Loki for a few days when he had invited Sif and Val over. Or rather, he had mentioned his new pet to Sif, and she had demanded to see it, and dragged Val with her.

They were all clustered by the sofa which Loki was currently occupying. The black fur ball was eyeing them suspiciously, as if Thor had brought uninvited guests to _Loki's_ house and Loki weren't, well, an uninvited guest himself.

Sif crouched beside the sofa and offered her hand for Loki to sniff, then stroked gently along the length of his back. Loki tolerated it with the very tip of his tail twitching, but then apparently decided that Sif was good, and let his eyes droop a little.

Sif cooed, something that Thor barely ever witnessed, and never without a cute animal nearby. “He's so adorable.”

“He's a menace,” Thor grumbled, still not exactly certain how to feel about acquiring an accidental pet, particularly without having much say in it. But he also couldn't deny the truth in Sif's words, which was why he had spent the past week in the awkward state of both exasperation and adoration.

Val, who seemed a great deal less impressed than Sif, reluctantly reached a hand to scratch Loki's chin.

Thor had only enough time to start with an ‘um’ before Loki’s little paw shot out and left three angry-red lines on the back of Val’s hand. She immediately snatched it back, cradling it to her chest. “Aww fuck, you little demon!”

Loki glared at her, tail swishing from side to side, ears flattening a little.

“Weren't cats supposed to like that?” Val grumbled, licking her wounds and scowling at the miffed little creature.

“Yeah, about that,” Thor sighed, following Sif's example and bringing his own hand to Loki's nose before scratching him lightly. “He doesn't really like to have his neck touched. He's always scratched me raw if I tried.” He showed them his red-striped hand. “Look.”

For all his apparent determination to live with Thor, Loki seemed to be remarkably strict about when or how he liked to be petted. In the first few days under Thor’s roof he had barely allowed any contact, but then he had begun accepting Thor's careful stroking from the top of his head to the base of his tale, as long as Thor approached him openly and kept clear of the underside of his chin and throat. A couple of days earlier he had tolerated even a wary belly rub, but put a swift end to it with his claws after only a few moments. The few times Thor had scratched Loki's chin, or tried to, had ended with Loki under the sofa, more often than not, and Thor' hand looking like he had used a grater on it.

“It's probably a trust thing,” Sif said and resumed her petting, but stopped when Loki continued swishing his tale angrily.

“Probably,” Thor conceded. He wasn't particularly well-versed in cat-talk, and he hadn't yet made much progress beyond the introduction chapter of the handbook for new cat-owners that he had a little grudgingly fetched from a library on his way from work. One of these days he was going to actually read it, too.

“So you're really keeping him?” Val asked, side-eyeing Loki.

Thor shrugged, looking down at the wary little fur ball on his sofa. Reluctant as he may be to keep him, he could never throw Loki back into the cold, and since no one had answered his ads… “I suppose. For a bit, at least. He might want to leave when the weather gets warm again, but yeah. I am.”

Loki turned his huge green eyes at Thor and slowly blinked at him, like he had understood what Thor had said.

Thor crouched to gently scratch behind Loki's ear. “I mean,” he said, “How hard can it be?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I once made a drawing with this fic in mind. [Have a look at in on my tumblr](https://salakavala7.tumblr.com/post/178519200970/thor-and-his-accidentally-adopted-cat-loki#notes), if you like!


	2. The Basics of Cat Behaviour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter! I am rather tired, so this isn't necessarily as polished as I'd like it to be, but this fic was supposed to be from the start light reading _and_ light writing, so I hope you don't mind.
> 
> Also, I thought I should mention that when I started writing this fic, the only thing I planned is that Loki is a cat and Thor adopts him. Everything else I was winging one sentence at a time, which was great fun! Anyway, a hint of plot is introduced here.

 

 

Loki turned out to be an awfully wilful little creature. He had behaved himself up to the exact moment when Thor had made the final decision to keep him for good, and after that he had obviously deemed it safe to reveal what a little demon he truly was.

He had resided at Thor's for about a week when the nightly races began.

Sif said it was a sign that Loki now felt safe in Thor's home and that it was a good thing, but of course she'd say that when she wasn't the one suffering the consequences. In theory it was cute: Loki dashing funnily from Thor's bedroom to the living-room and the kitchen, and then back again, chasing shadows and leaping over furniture like a whirlwind. In practise, it meant that he also made noise like a whirlwind, when Thor tried to sleep, knocking over everything standing in his way, photographs and remote controls and on one memorable occasion, one house plant. That alone might have not been that bad yet, but then Loki apparently decided he wanted Thor to join him, because Thor would find himself dragged from dreamland by grating meowing right in his face, with a pair of wide green eyes staring at him demandingly.

He tolerated that for about two nights before deciding to start closing his bedroom door for the night. It would have been a great solution all around, if it hadn't made everything worse. Meowing within a foot of his face was one thing, but, as Thor discovered, it was quite another to have to stir awake to Loki scratching the door and yowling pitifully, until Thor's sanity was shattered and he would grumble and curse and let Loki in his bedroom. That is, if Loki had actually entered the bedroom instead of bolting back to the living-room instead.

“He just wants to play,” Sif told him, “Cats are companionable animals, don't shut him out.”

Fine. Companionable was fine. Thor could do companionable, _understood_ companionable. But yodelling into Thor's face just to dash off into hiding? Which part of that was companionable, exactly? Still, Thor resigned. Once he started leaving the bedroom door open again for the night, Loki was somewhat pacified, and eventually Thor learnt to mostly tune out his dashing and darting around.

But if Loki's nightly races were normal cat behaviour, his daytime antics were nothing but assholery in its purest form, no matter what excuses Sif might come up with on Loki's behalf.

Well, Thor kind of got the scratching; despite getting used to Thor, Loki was still somewhat skittish, and mercurial at best. He never approached Thor himself, but on most days he allowed Thor to sit beside him on the sofa and pet him (though heaven forbid that his hand stray), but his mood might shift without a warning of any kind. Thor was lucky if Loki simply hopped off the sofa without trying his claws on Thor's skin first.

What Thor _didn't_ get was Loki doing things for no other reason than to be a nuisance. Things like pushing one of Thor's vases on the floor. Intentionally.

Thor was half watching a soap opera on TV after work, sprawling on the sofa with a can of beer in hand, hair damp from shower, and Loki was lounging on one of his shelves, peaceful and quiet, a perfect picture of a perfect pet. Then, without any provocation whatsoever, Loki suddenly got up and padded to a vase Thor's grandmother Bestla had gifted him when he'd first moved out. He waited until Thor looked at him, and then, then the little shit put his paw on the glass, _fully maintaining eye-contact._

“Oh no,” Thor had time to say, jerking into a more upright position, beer sloshing in the can, “Oh no you w-”

Loki pushed.

The vase fell. It fell and shattered on the floor, little pieces of glass flying everywhere, and it was only a stroke of luck that it had been empty to begin with.

Thor wordlessly gaped at the mess for a while. “You aren't serious,” he then said aloud, because he didn't know what else to do and the situation clearly demanded some sort of reaction. He had never really liked the vase – in fact, he had always thought it ugly, but had felt obliged to keep it for his grandmother's sake – but he couldn't believe the sheer _nerve_ of his cat.

He looked up at Loki, who was still sitting on the shelf, looking all smug.

“You did that on purpose,” Thor said accusingly.

And Loki – and here no one would ever be able to convince Thor otherwise – Loki _smirked_ at him.

Thor nearly choked on incredulity. Val was right; Loki _was_ a little demon. After this even Sif wouldn't be able to deny it.

But if he thought (and he had) that Sif would have any sympathy for him, he was wrong.

“You hated that vase,” she pointed out when Thor called her the next day. “You've been moaning about it to me more times than I can count. You should be happy you've got rid of it.”

“Not the point, Sif,” Thor grumbled, although he _was_ a little happy. “The point is that my cat is an asshole.”

Sif sighed at the end of the line, as if Thor was being unreasonable – Thor! “He isn't an asshole, Thor. He probably just wanted your attention. I've told you before, don't ignore him.”

“ _I wasn't ignoring him!_ ” Well, yeah, he had been watching TV and not Loki, but what was he supposed to do? Never take his eyes off his cat ever again?

“Keep in mind that you spend nine hours out of house every day. At least. More if you hit the gym after work or meet friends. For him it might seem as you ignoring him, especially if you don't pay him enough attention once you're home. And remember that it's a new place for him. He might still be in the process of familiarising himself with it, and probably testing his boundaries.”

“I should have called Val,” Thor muttered, a little miffed by the lack of sympathy Sif was displaying.

“I can pass over the phone,” she said dryly.

“I thought you were my friend.”

“Which is why I'm not sugar-coating the truth. Animals get lonely too. Taking care of a cat is more than simply feeding it twice a day. Haven't you read that manual at all?”

Great. Loki had done something stupid, and now _Thor_ was feeling guilty.

But then he thought about it, and began to see that Sif had a point – he might have been a little neglectful, aside the basics like feeding and cleaning the litter box and occasional petting. He should start playing with Loki more, and brushing his fur more regularly, and maybe Loki would begin to like him enough to not lacerate his hands or deliberately destroy his personal property. After all, Loki had chosen him as his owner. The least Thor should do was to make an effort to become worthy of the honour.

He began by actually reading the cat owner's manual he had first borrowed from a library and then bought for himself after he had realised he'd end up paying for it anyway in the form of overdue fees. He hadn't much thought about cats before, certainly not beyond the stereotype, and the manual turned out to be something of an eye-opener to him.

“See?” he told Loki, showing the book to him as he successfully shifted to sit beside his cat on the sofa. “I'm trying.”

Loki at least acknowledged him with a side-eyed glance and didn't go away when Thor scratched behind his ear.

It became easier after that. In the sense that now that Thor started paying more attention, and knowing _where_ to pay attention, he began discovering little details that pretty much made up for the previous hardships.

Like when Thor started playing with Loki. At first, when he had tried to coax Loki to chase a thick thread, Loki had given him a totally unimpressed look, like the whole idea was somehow preposterous. But when the thread kept creeping behind the corner of a sofa so tantalisingly slowly, Loki's ears twitched, his eyes opened wide, and he sharply craned his head to try and keep the toy in his sight as if he couldn't help it. Thor had barely suppressed laughter when Loki had dashed after his escaping prey just as it was about to disappear altogether. It quickly became his favourite thing after that: attacking his toys (and occasionally Thor's feet) from stealth at the last moment. Thor, on the other hand, quickly discovered that Loki was a born acrobat: the jumps and backflips he'd perform were ridiculously impressive, and sometimes ridiculously funny, and if Thor became That Friend who constantly sent cat photos to everyone on his contact list, well, no one was convincing enough telling him to stop.

An additional benefit of playing was uninterrupted sleep; apparently it was an adequate outlet for Loki's energy, and more often than not he would spend the night sleeping rather than keeping Thor awake.

While playing was fun, however, it couldn't win simply petting or brushing Loki, because it showed better than anything else how Loki began _liking_ Thor instead of just tolerating him. Or that's how it seemed to Thor at least – could be that Loki simply like brushing, but to Thor it looked like Loki became less skittish, less prone to fleeing or scratching even when Thor's touch became too much. Instead of glaring at Thor warily, Loki now lay still with his paws tucked in under his belly, eyes drooping with the long strokes of a brush, soft purring reaching Thor's ears every time. It was in those moments that Thor could practically feel Loki making a nest in his heart, and, well, he couldn't help it. His mother had always said that at the bottom of it Thor was a caretaker, and witnessing Loki's growing trust, Thor couldn't argue. When Loki, for the first time ever, rolled on his back and presented his belly for rubbing, Thor knew that he would walk naked through a wall of fire for his precious little mischief-maker if he had to.

He still wasn't allowed to take any extra liberties about the petting, though – a brush of careless fingers too close to Loki's throat still resulted in teeth and claws, and the one accidental time when Thor had (gently) grabbed the throat with his palm, trying to give Loki a vitamin pill, Loki hadn't pulled his punches to wiggle free and dart under the sofa. Thor would probably carry permanent scars in the memory of that incident for the rest of his life.

Still, when December came and with it Christmas, Thor once woke up in the middle of the night, for no apparent reason. But then he shifted his leg, and felt his toes brush something fluffy, and when he looked down he saw a blacker than black tiny puddle of fur curled in the foot of his bed. When Thor's toes caught its side, the fur ball raised its sleepy head and made this utterly disarming _mwarp_ , and Thor. Thor couldn't help but love him with the entirety of his being.

By the New Year's Eve Loki's preferred spot in Thor's bed had moved up, between the wall and Thor's side, and some nights, when Thor had trouble sleeping, he would find himself stroking the top of Loki's head with just two fingers, listening to his purring and slowly drifting to sleep.

Of course, despite the progress with Loki and the cat owner's manual, Thor should have been more prepared for setbacks. And of course the setbacks had to happen at the worst possible time, when things were heavy at work and Thor came home exhausted and annoyed.

Generally Thor liked his job well enough. He worked for a company that searched for venues for clients, took care of practical and bureaucratic matters and arranged everything to the client's wishes. They did everything from finding a place for children's birthdays to atmospheric little premises for private poetry readings to booking enormous halls for world-class events in sports or arts. Thor specialized in working with private clients, because he liked interaction with _people_ people rather than negotiations with big company delegates – he enjoyed getting to know his clients a little and then exceeding all of their careful hopes about the venue. There was nothing better than seeing a little kid's or a young couple's eyes light up when he presented them his suggestions.

But there were also clients who weren't exactly made of sunshine. Not only in that they might be rude, or demanding, or calculating, but sometimes people just had this particular sinister air about them that made dealing with them the low-point of the month.

One such client was a regular, unfortunately. Thor's colleagues called him Mad Titan, after the Ancient Greek gods, because, first, the man probably thought he was one; second, because he was huge and intimidating and just gave off that kind of vibe; and third, he had apparently Greek roots so it was fitting. Thanos (which was his actual first name) came to Thor a few times a year, always with an infuriatingly long list of demands, but never anything specific enough to be of actual help. Dealing with him was a bitch: the hours and the amount of headache Thor tolerated while searching for possible venues, only to later have them rebuked, were uncountable. It would have helped if the guy explained _why_ something wasn't working for him or at least for what purpose he needed the venue, but no, every meeting with him had to turn into figurative arm-wrestling. But Thanos paid well, so Thor's boss wanted to keep him coming back, and so there was nothing to be done about it.

It was after one such a meeting with Mad Titan that Thor returned home drained. By the time he'd signed the papers and shaken hands with Thanos he'd been ready to craft a massive axe with his own two hands and sink it into the fucker's chest, but now that he was home he wanted nothing more than a quiet night with Netflix, ginger ale, and Loki purring by his side on the sofa.

These days, Loki would occasionally come and greet Thor at the door, or at least raise his head and utter a small meow in greeting from the sofa. He would sniff at Thor's fingers and sometimes even butt his head into Thor's palm, if he was in a good mood.

This time, instead, when Thor took off his shoes and went to pet Loki without even taking off his jacket, he didn't even get close to his cat. As soon as he entered the living-room and spotted Loki on the sofa in his usual corner that was now marked as Loki's by persistently clinging cat hair, Loki snapped his head up, eyes wide and ears alert, and before Thor had taken even two steps, Loki, fur fluffed from head to the tip of his tail, darted under the sofa faster than a lightning.

Thor froze, frowning, hand already outstretched.

Of course he had seen Loki scared before – it happened every time when Thor dropped a pan or rattled particularly loudly in the kitchen, and the first time that Thor had dug out a hoover had been a nightmare for everyone involved – but never like this, never entirely fluffed out and so _terrified_. There wasn't even any visible reason for Loki to freak out like that.

On the other hand, Loki was Loki. Who knew what he was up to? Maybe there had just been a noise Thor hadn't heard. He shrugged, determinedly pushing the urban legends about animals sensing ghosts out of his mind, and went to wash his hands instead. Loki would probably crawl out of his hideout latest when Thor started rustling in the fridge.

But Loki didn't crawl out from under the sofa for the remaining evening. When Thor resorted to catnip and Loki still stayed where he was, Thor started to get worried. He knelt by the sofa and reached with his hand for Loki, who was packed into the furthermost corner, ears flattened, eyes glinting distrustfully.

“Come on, little guy...”

Loki hissed at him. Not even-- Loki _growled_ at him.

Thor snatched his hand back. Yeah, he had been scratched more times than he would care to count, and even hissed at on a couple of occasions, but this? Loki had never, ever _growled_.

“What is it, kitty?” Thor muttered under his breath, peering at Loki, but not risking extending his arm again. Loki obviously didn't answer, but made another low, long growling sound – a clear warning, if Thor had ever heard one.

He sighed and got on his feet. Evidently Loki was in some sort of mood and obviously wanted to be left alone. Which was fine, but what could it possibly be that had got his cat so cranky? Just as everything was going so smoothly!

Ah, well. It would probably be gone by morning.

Watching TV felt oddly disrespectful when Loki was in such a state under the sofa, so Thor decided to have an early night in bed instead. It wasn't like he had any energy for much more anyway, other than scrolling social media on his phone before fluffing his pillow and switching off the lights. Time to sleep. The next day would probably be better.

At some point during the night he stirred to something soft curling against his back – Loki. His darling kitty had finally crawled out from his dark corner and come to him. Drowsy and half asleep, Thor rolled over so that he enveloped Loki with his torso and drawn-up knees. He half expected Loki to run, but he didn't, and Thor fell asleep to gentle sound of purring against his chest.

He slept well, and dreamt of sweet, lingering kisses and raven hair sliding between his fingers. In the morning, when he woke up to his alarm clock, Loki had gone into hiding again, leaving only scattered black cat hair in his wake.

 

 


	3. The Quirks of Cat Behaviour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  

Whatever it was that had set Loki off so badly kept him cautious of Thor for a few days even after the incident. He only approached if Thor was asleep or otherwise visibly distracted, and instead of greeting him at the door when he came home from work, Loki waited under the sofa until Thor was properly in and had discarded his coat and scarf and shoes. It was strange, but in a couple of days Loki finally allowed Thor to initiate petting, and Thor stopped thinking about it. Things went back to normal once more.

It was a chilling evening near the end of January when 'normal' changed again. This time, at least, Thor knew what it was he did to offend Loki.

He brought home a guy.

In all the three or so months that Loki had lived with him, Thor had rarely invited any guests – only his very closest friends, and even them barely a handful of times. Usually when they gathered, it was either at their favoured lounge near Hogun's flat, or at Volstagg's place, because, like the man himself, it was the biggest in their little circle. Still, by now Loki was more or less at ease with Thor's friends.

It probably should have come to Thor earlier that that might not be the case with strangers.

It only occurred to him when he inserted the key into his front door lock, Trevor half a step behind him: if Loki had been skittish even with Thor's friends in the beginning, he might not take well to an unexpected random visitor. But Thor had been casually flirting with Trevor for a couple of weeks now, and so when things with him had taken a pleasant turn at the pub after work, Loki had, frankly, been far from the top of Thor's list of priorities. Still, now that he had the key in the lock, he hesitated slightly.

“What's the matter?” Trevor asked behind him, laughter in his voice. “Stuck?”

Thor shook his head to himself. _Hey look man, I_ _might have forgot to mention that I_ _have a cat,_ _and he might not like you,_ _so maybe we should go to your place instead_ was probably a bit of a mood-killer. He turned they key till the lock clicked. “Nah. You aren't allergic to cats though, are you?”

“Nope. I like cats! Cats are cool.”

Thor could only hope that Loki would return the sentiment. But even if he didn't, it wasn't like Thor had brought Trevor over to play with his cat. Besides, Loki was his pet. Thor didn't need his permission for anything.

Evidently, Thor was wrong.

Loki didn't come greet him to the door, which wasn't uncommon at all. Instead, when Thor switched on the light in the foyer, he found his cat sitting in darkness in the middle of his living-room carpet, licking his paw. Or rather, frozen in the midst of the act of licking his paw. He stared at Thor and Trevor, the light from the foyer reflecting in his green eyes eerily.

“So this is your cat?” Trevor asked, entering the living-room and crouching within a few long paces from Loki, offering his hand. “Hi, kitty.”

Loki stared at him contemptuously and coolly returned to washing himself.

Thor hung both of their coats and joined Trevor on the floor. “Yeah. That's Loki. Trevor – Loki. Loki – Trevor.”

Loki licked his little bean toes with slow, disinterested swipes. He demonstratively ignored Thor's outstretched hand, too. Thor sighed. “He's a little wary of strangers. I rarely bring-- Um. I mean.”

Trevor laughed with his teeth, eyes crinkling. He got up and brushed his dark-almost-black hair out of his eyes, grinning at Thor. “I get it, Thor.”

Thor had, of course, had his fair share of lovers, both occasional and long term, but in the past year work had kept him too busy to look for anything special; if he had to prioritise between spending time with his friends and occasional fucks, his friends would always snatch the first place. Trevor, though, had something to him that said _let’s get to know each other better_ and meant it in a non-suggestive way. In a way that said, _hey_ , _this could be more_.

Besides: Thor wouldn't go as far as saying he had a type, per se, but of late certain characteristics had begun appealing to him more than the others. Like black hair – the most frequent feature in an odd vague dream he’d sometimes have. Or tall, lean build. All of which boxes Trevor ticked with ease, so no day like today, right? It was Friday anyway. Thor couldn't be _that_ busy.

“Anyway,” he said, leading Trevor to the kitchen. “Something to drink?”

He went to open the cupboard when he heard Trevor's surprised 'oh', and turned to look.

Loki had followed them. Not only – he had jumped on the kitchen table, planting his butt right in the middle of it and going back to licking his paw like a despotic queen.

“Not sure you're allowed to sit there, little guy,” Trevor said. Loki spared him a derisive glance and went on as if he hadn't spoken.

Thor sighed. “He's not allowed on the table and he knows it,” he told Trevor before turning to Loki again. “Get off the table, Loki. Shoo.”

He might as well be air, for all the lack of acknowledgement Loki granted him.

“Loki. You're embarrassing me in front of my guests.”

“I get it,” Trevor grinned. “I'm trespassing his territory. Sorry, little guy.”

Loki decisively ignored them both.

Thor glared at him balefully. “Yeah, well, I sometimes feel like I'm trespassing his territory too, and I actually live here. Get off, you menace.”

Loki finished licking his paw and moved on to cleaning his back.

“He's making it seem like I haven’t set any rules at all on purpose,” Thor accused, grabbing Loki into his arms and plopping him on the floor, earning an indignant squawk for his efforts. “Don't even, you asked for this yourself, you demon.”

He glanced at Trevor, reaching for the cupboard again. “Sorry.”

“It's fine,” Trevor said, and stilled Thor's hand. He didn't withdraw his touch even when Thor halted. “I'm not that thirsty right now anyway.”

Thor’s own lips stretched in an answering grin. “Good.”

Loki made no attempt to follow them when Thor led Trevor to his bedroom, hands in the back pockets of his tight jeans. Still, Thor pushed the door closed after them. Just in case.

 

 

 

The next morning was undeniably pleasant: it was Saturday, Trevor stayed for round two, and despite the closed bedroom door, Loki hadn't gone bonkers during the night, allowing them to sleep well.

Trevor left after breakfast, and only after closing the door after him did Thor realise that Loki was nowhere to be found.

He didn't make much of it, at first – simply replaced the water in Loki's cute bowl and filled the other one with fresh food. He was in a good mood, so he decided to treat Loki with a catnip button too, as an apology for bringing home strangers, regardless Loki's rebellious behaviour before said strangers.

He only started to worry when it was nearing noon and Loki still hadn't emerged. A quick check revealed that his cat was neither under the sofa, where he usually wormed when scared or offended, nor under Thor's bed, nor in the closet where Thor kept his suits and Loki always tried to swoosh in.

“Oh, Loki, Loki...” he muttered, resolving for a more thorough search. More thorough, as in turning every pillow, checking every corner, turning his entire place practically upside down, and _still_ finding no trace of Loki.

Right. There was no reason to panic. Loki had to be _somewhere._ Thor only had to keep his cool and think for the best course of action.

So he phoned Sif.

“You've read your manual, haven't you?” she asked him, far too amused for Thor's liking. “Cats get jealous too.”

“What, am I to remain celibate for my cat now?” he howled, throwing his head back on the sofa cushions in desperation.

Sif only laughed at him. “Maybe you are.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever, but where can he _be_?” Thor moaned into the phone, thumping his head against the back rest and throwing his arm over his eyes. “What if he slipped out when Trevor left?”

“For someone who didn’t even want him in the first place you sound exceptionally concerned.”

“For someone who jumps to defend him at every turn you sound surprisingly _un_ concerned.”

“Now now, let’s not get cranky. Don’t worry, Thor, he’ll crawl out when he relents,” Sif consoled him, but she was clearly trying not to laugh, Thor could _hear_ it. “Unless of course you stopped to make out in the doorway while Trevor was ‘leaving’, in which case you might be right and Loki has escaped.”

“Not for _that_ long,” Thor muttered, ashamed and chastised.

“Thor, relax. Even if he did slip out, he used to live outside, remember? He knows how to find you if he wants to.”

 _What if he no longer wants to,_ Thor didn’t ask, because there was a limit to how pathetic he was prepared to sound to Sif. But her words in mind, he kept a close eye on his balcony window while he searched through every room and every closet once again, just to be sure.

When the day rolled into early afternoon, Thor gave up foraging his home, and instead camped by the balcony door to keep an eye on his yard.

“Is this why you escaped your previous owner?” he mumbled to himself, absently drawing a sad little smiley face on the condensation his breath left on the window. “He got married or something and you couldn’t take it. No wonder he didn’t look for you afterwords, you absolute little asshole.” The last bit he added in a sudden fit of petulance, but then promptly felt bad and thumped his forehead against the cool glass. “Sorry. Please come back.”

Loki didn’t.

Thor was torn between donning his coat and heading out to look for Loki outside, and waiting inside in case he returned. In the end, he opted for the latter; it was unlikely Thor would ever find a runaway cat on the streets. He would rather stay home and let him in as soon as he came back.

Still, Thor couldn’t just sit by his window like a maiden waiting for her beloved to return from war, and anyway, keeping his hands busy would distract him from fretting. He had to eat something, and his sheets needed changing, and by the time he was done with that Loki would have surely returned, right? So he went on about it.

He wasn’t in the mood for proper cooking, so he just made himself some oatmeal, and then went to bundle up the dirty sheets. Might as well do the laundry right away and have his future self thank him for once.

But when he tossed the bundle of laundry into the washing machine, it wasn’t his future self who gave an indignant meow, and it certainly wasn’t his future self who emerged from the depths of the washing machine with an offended scowl. It was Loki. It was his silly, stubborn nuisance of a kitty Loki, and Thor had never before been so happy to see him.

In a rush of relief he swept his kitten into his arms and nuzzled him, ignoring Loki’s displeased wiggling. “You enjoyed that, you little fucker, didn’t you,” he admonished his kitten, pressing his cheek against Loki’s soft side and almost laughing with the lightness of relief. “Making me worry, listening to my stupid blathering, you did that on purpose, you demon.”

Loki didn’t deny anything, but it was okay, because Thor loved him anyway and kept hugging him tightly until Loki started yowling and struggling in earnest.

 

 

 

Thor saw Trevor again, but, having learnt from experience, always at Trevor’s place. Not that he could trick Loki; his wilful little companion could probably smell Trevor on him, and demonstratively avoided Thor’s petting hand until Thor would spent half a bottle of soap on it and changed his clothes, at the very least.

It was vexing and amusing, but it didn’t become a problem; after a few pleasant dates Thor had to admit that while good fun was had all around, nothing deeper would come out of it. It was an amiable parting of ways, but when Thor came home from his last meeting with Trevor, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat low.

“I’m 31,” he told Loki, who was lounging on the other end of the sofa and looking up at Thor when he started speaking. Thor took it as an encouragement, preferring his own voice to the silence of his home, only broken by the constant, merciless ticking of the clock. “It’s not that I yearn for a wife and two kids and a dog – sorry, cat – but. It would be nice to have someone, you know?”

Loki looked back at him intently, like he was really listening and understanding. Thor cracked a smile and reached to him with his hand. Loki didn’t react to it in any way.

Thor sighed. “You probably don’t. You’re a cat and you like to be alone. Unless I’m sleeping and you want to play. You’re a menace like that. At least _you_ are probably happy.”

Thor let his hand fall onto the pillow and tipped his head back with a loud exhale. He wasn’t as much upset with how things went with Trevor in particular as he was simply… lonely. He wanted somebody to hold, to care for, and to be taken care of in return. Someone special. Someone… someone like--

He sighed again and shook his head. He should probably just go to bed.

“Mwarp.”

Thor opened his eyes. Loki had shuffled up on his feet and now approached Thor’s limp hand, sniffing it and then butting his head into it. Thor chuckled and heeded the hint, scratching behind Loki’s ear. Loki let him for a bit, then padded closer and, to Thor’s great shock, climbed onto his lap.

“Mwarp,” he said again, blinking at Thor slowly, butting into his face once, twice.

“Aw.” Thor gently petted his head and Loki settled into his lap, coiling into a cute black little bundle. Soft purrs filled the air, replacing the oppressive ticking of the clock.

Thor was struck by an urge to squeeze his kitty tight to his chest, but, demonstrating admirable self-control, opted for simply stroking Loki’s back with both hands – long, slow swipes with the right, then with the left. When Loki turned a little, exposing his belly for rubbing, Thor felt some of his moodiness lift and make space for warm fondness instead.

“You know,” he said quietly, gently poking Loki’s tiny cool nose with his finger. “You can be pretty sweet, too.”

Loki purred and purred and purred, and let Thor eventually lift him and carry him to the bed, where Thor curled on his side comfortably. He slept soundly, that night, Loki a warm, comforting presence against his chest.

If he dreamt of strong thighs under his head and long, tender fingers raking through his hair, he couldn’t quite remember it in the morning.

 

 

 

Sif smiled at him over the rim of her steaming mug, absorbing its warmth into her hands to use as a weapon against the frigidness of the Valentine’s Day.

“What?” asked Thor.

“Nothing.” She drew her knees up in her end of the sofa and balanced the tea mug on them, hissing slightly when the heat burned through her tights. “Just seems that you’ve finally tamed your little beast. Or that he’s managed to train you to his liking, instead.”

Thor looked down at the contentedly purring Loki on his thighs. His hand was idly rubbing Loki’s belly up and down, up and down, but Loki didn’t even stir.

His lips pulled into a smile without him even realising. “Yeah.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I just love Lokitty tormenting Thor every which way. That's not to say I'm not sympathetic, but. You know.
> 
> Speaking of Thor, I don't believe I've specified whether Thor's hair is long or short in this fic, and I'm a little curious, which have you been picturing? :D


	4. Cat – More than just a Pet

 

 

February was turning to an end when Thor got off from work earlier than usual. A client had cancelled their meeting, so Thor had used the extra couple of hours to do groceries and for once get home before it was completely dark. Daylight hours were hanging on a little longer already, but still, this time of year the last rays of sun tended to be long gone by the time Thor normally left for home.

But now there was still light left, and the sky was ablaze with the setting sun. Thor admired the breathtaking view as he walked home from the grocery store, breath puffing in the cold air. This had always been Frigga's favourite time of day, in her favourite time of year. Even now, Thor always felt her vibrant presence whenever he saw bright damask blending into flaming orange against the light blue sky.

His living-room window gave into west, so he was treated to a light show every evening when the clouds allowed it (or when he was actually home to see it). However, when he now stepped through the door, it wasn't the spectacular view that had him dropping his groceries on the floor right there in the foyer.

“Oh, shit,” said a young, black-haired man from the window.

“What,” said Thor.

Absurd, was what it was. Thor felt like he was looking at a painting: a blend of fiery colours, bordered by the window frames, and a tall figure of a black-haired man standing leisurely against the dying light. He was elegantly holding a delicate teacup in one hand – the same teacup that had been Frigga's favourite and that Thor had been given after her death. If the man hadn't been wearing and overly large hoodie and loose sweatpants, the whole scene would have looked like a piece of classical art with a fancy title, like _A Golden Memory_ or something in that spirit.

Except that it wasn't a painting, and if a title was necessary, it would have been a pretty simple yet to-the-point _Who the Fuck Is That_.

Thor stripped his coat and dropped in on the floor, not taking his eyes off the intruder; if it came to a fight, the thick coat would only restrict him.

The man stared at him, clearly alarmed. “Now,” he began, aiming at a light tone, “Before you -”

“Who the hell are you and get the fuck out of my house,” Thor growled and stepped into the living-room. Burglary he got, in the sense that it wasn't personal, but this-- this man admiring the scenery while _drinking tea from his mother's cup_ made Thor see red. _No one_ was allowed to touch that cup, least of all a filthy thief.

“Yes, before you start with that,” said the fucker, albeit nervously, his façade cracking fast as Thor approached with murder in his eyes. “I think -”

He didn't finish, backing the few steps he could and pressing his back against the window as Thor stepped into his space.

“Put that down and get out, while you can.”

“Thor, wait-”

Thor raised his fist.

The man recoiled against the glass and hastily raised the cup between himself and Thor. “I'll drop your mother's teacup!”

Thor froze, and frowned. “What did you say?”

“I'll drop -”

“How do you know it was my mother's?” Thor was almost certain he had never met the man in his life, there was absolutely no way he could have known about Frigga's cup. And come to think of it: “How do you know my name?”

The man visibly relaxed a little, shoulders sagging just slightly. Still, he kept Frigga's cup as a shield between them. “I know it's your mother's cup,” he said slowly, carefully, wide eyes never once straying from Thor, “because Sif told it to Val when they visited us last autumn.”

“Us,” Thor repeated, deadpan.

He saw the man swallow, the apple of his throat bobbing--

Bobbing right above a very familiar collar.

Thor's hand shot to grab it before the thought could even fully form in his mind. He gripped the collar, fingers pressing into a tender neck underneath it. “What the _fuck_ \--”

The blow to his eyes was so swift and so sudden he didn't see it coming. It blinded him momentarily, and his grip on the collar slackened. He staggered back a step, blinking away the reflexive tears, and stared at the man, who had paled, clutching at his own neck with one hand and the teacup with the other, eyes wide and green and… terrified?

“Do _not_ touch me there,” he croaked.

The oddest feeling washed over Thor, and he frowned at the guy. “Who are you?”

“Loki,” the man said. “I'm Loki.”

“Loki.” Thor squinted. “My Loki?”

The man licked his thin lips and hesitated. “...Yes.”

“My Loki is a cat,” Thor said, not at all dumbly.

“Not exactly,” the man – Loki? – said carefully. “I am-- I can also be a cat. But I am actually human. Like you.”

“That doesn't make any sense.”

“I'll show you.” Slowly, the guy – _Loki –_ lowered Frigga's teacup on the windowsill. “Watch. But please don't-- don't do anything.”

Thor didn't have time for a proper retort, not that he had one ready, before 'Loki' shimmered green, and then _Loki_ was staring up at him from the floor, his huge green eyes familiar and imploring – he was Thor's Loki, Thor's little asshole of a cat but also adorably sweet Loki.

Thor yelped and his foot jerked reflexively, and instantly Loki darted under the sofa with an alarmed meow.

Heart hammering in his chest like a shaman’s drum, Thor first inhaled and then exhaled slowly. All right, get a grip, man. There was a guy in front of him, and then there was a cat. Not that complicated. A man and a cat. Two entities. Not too much to grasp. Expect that they were apparently one entity. An entity that was Thor's cat, and now he had scared him, and absurdly felt guilty for it.

Classic, really.

Thor got on his knees and peered under the sofa. His cat – or whatever his cat – his Loki – _just_ Loki – was, peered back at him, a pair of reflective eyes glinting from a black cloud of fur.

“Sorry,” Thor said, a weird mix of strange and normal, “I wasn't trying to kick you. Come out.”

“Mwarp,” said Loki pitifully, which was terribly unfair of him because he probably knew how disarmed Thor always was by that little sound. Warily he started to crawl towards Thor.

Thor deemed it wisest to remain sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the sofa (not because his knees were jelly, mind you, except for maybe a little), and when Loki's little nose peeked out, and soon after the rest of him, Thor automatically offered his hand to him. Then he realised how weird it was and quickly withdrew it. “Um.”

A shimmer of green again, and Loki, as in the human Loki he had been moments earlier, sat near Thor, just out of his reach – with his clothes on and everything. He regarded Thor warily, expectantly.

“Mh,” Thor said, because evidently he had to say something. “Point taken.”

Loki continued eyeing him, as if it was perfectly reasonable to expect Thor to function properly after he'd just found out that his pet cat of half a year was not, in fact, _just_ a cat.

“Hmh,” he said, and saw how Loki drew his knees up and hid his hands in the oversized sleeves of the hoodie. A hoodie which, now that Thor looked at it, resembled suspiciously one of Thor's own.

Loki noticed his look and shrunk guiltily. “You almost never use this one,” he muttered. “I always put them back after I use them, before you get home. And keep them clean, I swear.”

Thor shook his head – laundry was about the last thing on his mind right now. “You're my cat,” he said instead, trying to comprehend.

“Yes.”

Thor frowned, shook his head again. “ _How?_ ”

Loki licked his lips and fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. “If I tell you, will you promise to not thrown me out?”

“To be honest, I'm more likely to throw you out if you don't.”

“I will.” Loki left the sleeves alone and moved to wring the strings of the hood instead. He was kind of facing Thor, but not looking directly at him, eyes flitting to him and away again. Thor, on the other hand, kept his steady gaze on Loki.

“I'm human,” Loki said.

“Okay.”

“But I can turn into a cat.”

“Okay.”

“It's… it's sorcery. Magic. We all have our spirit animals, so to speak. Sorcerers can shift into theirs.”

“Okay.”

Loki's lips twitched. “Would you please respond a little more expressively to what I'm saying?”

It was easier than easy for Thor to imagine a pair of ears flattening in displeasure and a black tail swishing from side to side. He wanted to laugh, because laughing sounded way simpler than actually trying to get a grasp of the situation.

He didn’t, though. Maybe this was a bit too weird even for laughing. “So you're a human who can turn into a cat. A sorcerer.” And yes, wasn't _that_ a thought? Sorcerer.

Loki nodded eagerly.

Thor crossed his arms. “And you decided to pretend to be a homeless little kitty and move in with me why, exactly?”

Loki looked caught out at that. Fiddling with the strings intensified. “I… got into trouble with one unpleasant individual. I ran. Your backyard was a coincidence. Far enough from the city centre, all grown out with bushes… I only meant to wait until the dust settled, but you didn't seem to mind me and seemed kind, and… But then came winter and it still wasn't safe for me to come out of hiding, so.”

“So you just decided to move in. As a cat.”

“You didn't seem to mind terribly,” Loki repeated in a small voice, looking defensive, a little bit hopeful, and ready to bolt.

Thor honestly, truly tried to wrap his mind around it all. He rubbed his face with both hands and groaned. “Sorcery. You're a _sorcerer_.”

In all truth, he really just wanted to tell Loki that he was delusional, that magic didn't exist, that people didn't turn into animals. But after he had just seen a man turn into a cat, who was he to call others out on bullshit?

Besides, he had always been a bit of a take-it-as-it-comes kind of guy.

“Right. So. You're telling me there is magic, and there are sorcerers. And this is… Shit. This _is_? Are there more of you? How come no one knows about it?”

Loki shrugged. “There are other sorcerers, a few even in this city. We don't communicate with each other much – magic is an individualistic practise. And, well, it's kept a secret for obvious reasons. Magic doesn't really fit into the everyday life of the general masses. _We_ don't really fit it. People would never leave us be if they knew. It wouldn’t be safe. For us.”

Thor's head was reeling. “And so no one knows about it. How is it possible that no one knows about it, in this time and day? The Internet should be full of stuff on-- on you!”

Loki's lips thinned into a line so tight they disappeared almost entirely. “Well. There is SHIELD. It's sort of a… secret magic controlling organization. It keeps everything unusual from normal people. It also tries to monitor sorcerers. So no one would know.”

It was all quickly getting a little over the top, in Thor's humble opinion. “A secret -”

Loki waved his hand dismissively. “It doesn't matter now.”

Oh, sure. What mattered the fact that Thor's world had just turned around a little? A little, as in completely. Magic, sorcerers, _secret fucking organisations_ secreting away some pretty fundamental things about the world… Thor hadn't had a fucking clue. He would have gladly asked more about it, because, um, _yes_ it did matter a little, but he was feeling a bit like he had just crawled out of Plato's cave, and thus had difficulties with organizing his thoughts to the abstract tinfoil theory level just now. It was much easier to think closer to the daily life.

Daily life in which his cat had turned out to not really be a cat.

“Thor?” Loki looked worried. “Thor, will you… will you let me stay?”

This time Thor actually laughed. It was all a little too absurd to not to.

“I'll pay you back, I promise,” Loki hurried to continue, desperation creeping into his voice. “For the living. As soon as it's safe for me to return to my normal life. I promise.”

“Mm, and when _is_ it safe for you to return?”

Loki hesitated. “Not yet.”

Thor rubbed his temples and said nothing – though in his defence, it was a lot to take in.

Loki inched closer, clearly employing all the ample experience he had at looking cute that he had probably collected as a cat. “I'm sorry I tricked you, but you must understand why I did it. I can't go back yet, he will kill me if he finds me. Thor, please. Can I stay?”

“Wait, what, who will kill you?”

“The… unpleasant individual I mentioned earlier.”

Thor squinted at him. “As in… figuratively?”

Loki met his gaze, eyes wide and dead serious.

“What, _literally_?” It just kept getting weirder and weirder. Thor thumped his head back on the cushions. His head would explode, one of these seconds it would explode and he would wake up in his bed with his cat Loki sleeping curled against him like always, like normally.

“Just until it's safe again. I'll pay, I swear.”

“Mmh.” Seriously, okay. Would Thor even be keeping a cat or a tenant? Or a flatmate? Just what the hell was happening in his life?

“It can be as before,” Loki said, desperation evident in his voice; right, apparently Thor had voiced his questions. “I can be your cat, like before, nothing more to it. Or I can be human. Anything you want. But I can't show my real face outside yet, and I'll freeze as a cat. I have nowhere else to go. Please don't drive me away, I'll pay… Thor?”

“What kind of trouble are you even in?” Thor asked. Sure, he knew that people were killed and murdered in the real world, too, but it never had touched his own life before. And now he was asked to house a possible target of a killer? “Who is trying to kill you? Another sorcerer? Shouldn't you be going to the police about this?”

“The police doesn’t know of sorcerers, I told you. Thor, this won't endanger you, I promise. He doesn't know what my spirit animal is and he has no reason to think you have me. As long as you don’t tell anyone about this, nothing has to change.”

Loki had an evident talent for not giving answers to what was asked of him, clearly. Still, when Thor squinted at Loki, taking in his nearly frantic eyes and hunched form, he knew that there was no way he could just throw him out just like that. He had cared for Loki for half a year now, he couldn't just… drive him away and pretend that none of this had happened. Especially in the light of what Loki had just told him.

Loki shifted even closer, hopeful and vulnerable all at once. He was awfully pretty, up this close. “Will you let me stay? Thor?”

Fuck. Thor didn’t really have choice, did he? When had he ever stood a chance against Loki?

He rubbed his eyes and mentally bid farewell to life as he knew it. “Right. Yeah. Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay. You can stay.”

Loki's face brightened with palpable relief, and he slowly blinked at Thor, then for some reason flushed and turned to look at his hands, an embodiment of cuteness. “Thank you.”

Thor cleared his throat. He really, really hoped he hadn’t just made the worst mistake of his entire life, but too late to second-guess now. “So uh. How will we… how will this work? Will you be my-- I mean. Yeah. How will this work?”

Loki gave him a dazzling smile, the flush still clinging to his cheeks. “As long as I remain nothing but a simple cat to everyone else but you, I can be whatever you want. I can be your cat. Or I can be human. Me.”

“Whatever is comfortable for you,” Thor mumbled. He would not start dictating what Loki had to be.

He shook his head, as if that could magically put all the messed-up pieces in his head to their right places again. “We'll figure it out.”

“Yes,” Loki said, relief painted all over his pretty face. “We will.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we finally get to the point where some answers present themselves. :) Also a friendly reminder: I was making things up at the same pace as I was writing them. Be like Thor, take everything you find here as it comes!


	5. Get to Know Your Kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make yourself a cup of tea and prepare for a long talk...
> 
> Also, real life is about to kick in, so I don't expect to get much writing done in the next two weeks or so. Nothing to worry about, but don't hold your breath. :)

 

 

'Figuring it out' turned out to be far more complicated than those three little words might have suggested. Starting from that very same evening.

In Thor's defence, he was a little overwhelmed by the rather unexpected turn of events, and so he could hardly be blamed for wanting to call it a day early (and maybe for wanting to wake up in the morning to a world that made sense to him again). But even in his somewhat stunned state he had enough presence of mind to realise that, as human, Loki needed a proper sleeping spot of his own. Neither of them mentioned their previous arrangement of Loki curling next to Thor, for which Thor was immensely thankful – he had no idea what to think about _that_ right now, and no desire whatsoever to delve into it. So he went to fetch an old mattress from the storage room, and, a little apologetically, rolled it open on his living-room floor. His sofa was comfy for sitting all right, but too short for a tall guy like Loki to sleep comfortably.

They didn't speak; Thor spread the sheets while Loki sort of… hovered. In some strange way he reminded Thor of Loki's cat-self from the time when he had just moved in and had been still skittish. The thought of making Loki feel that way again filled Thor with guilt, but he had no idea how to deal with it – with any of it – so he just concentrated on stuffing a pillow into a simple grey pillowcase and finding a warm duvet. When that was done, he got up and clapped his hands into a death grip with false cheer. “There, all ready!”

Even in his own ears, it sounded fake and strained.

He couldn’t quite look at Loki when he headed for his own bedroom. It was only at the door that he felt safe enough to chance a glance – and instantly regretted it. His new roommate-slash-tenant stood by his makeshift bed, eyes cast low, dejection sown into his entire posture. All in all he looked like a kitten left out in the rain.

Thor’s heart twinged. _Say something,_ _you monster_ , he tried to tell himself, but in the end he only managed a strangled 'good night' before quietly closing the door behind himself.

Even that made him feel guilty – as though he were locking his pet cat out. Which he kind of was. Only Loki wasn't really a cat. Or his.

Come to think of it, it would seem that Thor no longer even _had_ a cat. And how about that? He actually missed the little fluffy fur ball.

That night he slept poorly, troubled by strange, restless dreams for the first time in months.

 

 

 

The dawn greeted Thor with the grating beeping of his alarm and, despite Thor's optimistic hopes, made everything that much more awkward.

Loki was still asleep when Thor manoeuvred past his mattress to the bathroom. It was such a surreal sight that Thor, involuntarily, had to stop to behold it: the wavy black hair spreading on the grey pillow, equally dark lashes shadowing pale cheeks. Long legs were partly uncovered by the duvet, and a slender arm arched elegantly but probably uncomfortably over the edge of the mattress. Thor shook his head quietly. He was somehow supposed to believe this was Loki, Thor's not-cat? No way. It couldn't be real.

And yet, well. The more Thor looked, the more he found – not exactly similarities. But Loki's hair was black like that of Thor's cat's, as was the trimmed tuft peeking from Loki's half-exposed armpit. Would it be as soft as well..?

Okay, all right, halt, abort, stop! Bathroom. Thor had been going for the bathroom. He should… finish going there. And probably stay there for the rest of his life, if at all possible.

So Loki was hot. More than hot – he was beautiful, a perfect dream guy if Thor could conjure one. What of it? Not the first hot guy bunking on Thor's spare mattress. Plus he was hiding from a threat to his life, something that Thor should keep in mind. Yes, he should think of Loki as his tenant. No, a refugee. It would hardly be ethical to go having impure thoughts about a refugee in your home, right? Right.

Thor washed his face once more and gave himself a stern look in the mirror before heading to his bedroom to get dressed. Except that when he emerged from the bathroom, Loki was awake, blinking at him sleepily and being so unfairly cute that Thor had to do an immediate U-turn back for the bathroom under the mumbled pretence of finding Loki a spare toothbrush.

When he re-emerged, he had himself better composed, and Loki had got himself out of his makeshift bed and into Thor's borrowed hoodie and the sweatpants he had worn on the previous day. On many previous days, apparently, come to think of it.

They stood in the middle of the living-room, facing each other.

Thor cleared his throat. “Good morning.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Loki's lips. “Good morning.”

“You, er.” Thor gestured at Loki's attire. “Do you have any clothes of your own, or..?”

Loki looked embarrassed at that. “Not really. I only had the ones in which I ran, and I disposed of them before you took me in. They were… no longer comfortable. I like yours,” he added slightly guiltily. “They are warm and soft.”

“Okay,” Thor said, because he couldn't really claim he minded. “I'll, uh, I'll find some more spares that you can use. Until we get you some of your own.”

“Thank you,” Loki said with that peculiar slow blink and then disappeared in the bathroom. Thor went to start with breakfast.

It wasn't going so bad after all. He and Loki had just had a normal conversation. The world was still turning pretty normally despite all the magic talk last night. And if Thor _really_ thought about it, what was one more secret organisation? It hadn't affected Thor's life before, so why should knowing about it change anything now? Same for magic. It wasn't like Thor had any particular knowledge about extremely complicated scientific phenomena, so why should magic scare him if science didn't? And if there were people out there who could change into animals? Well it certainly wasn't Thor's business what they did behind their closed doors.

Yeah. There was no need to complicate things that didn’t need complicating. It was life. You only had to roll with it.

With this newly achieved relative peace of mind, Thor finished up with the omelet and turned to divide it onto two plates.

Only there weren’t two plates on the table, there was only one; Loki’s cute little cat bowl that Thor had picked himself stood nearby, filled with fresh cat food.

Right. Lost in thoughts, Thor had apparently followed his customary morning routine out of sheer muscle memory. No matter. He would just -

Soft steps stopped at the kitchen entrance. Thor looked up just on time to catch Loki’s eyes moving from the lonely plate on the table to the cat bowl on the floor.

“Oh.” Loki’s entire face flushed bright scarlet. “Sorry, I didn’t-- I’ll shift right away.”

 _Fuck._ “Wait, no, this isn’t what it-”

“No, I understand. You’ve spent money on that bag of cat food, I shouldn't let it go to waste.” Loki started to shimmer light green.

“Wait!” Thor didn’t think, he just threw his hand out, curling his palm around the side of Loki’s neck. He couldn’t help it; physical contact came reflexively to him.

He instantly withdrew his hand, but the damage was done: Loki jerked away from him, and for one frozen second they stared at each other, eyes wide. Thor could see Loki's throat working, like he wanted to speak.

Then Loki shifted into a cat and darted under the sofa.

“What,” said Thor.

“Uh,” said he, standing awkwardly in the middle of his kitchen.

Okay, step by step. He had made Loki upset. Loki had turned into a cat. That much was clear. But: did that mean Loki was an actual cat then? Or should Thor treat him as he would a human Loki? What was even customary to do when your conversation partner turned into an animal and fled? Come to think of it, there were some pretty essential questions about the whole cat thing that Thor probably should have asked on the night before.

He went to stand beside the sofa. “Loki,” he said, feeling more than a little dumb. “I didn’t mean to grab your neck. Or offend you. Please come out and have breakfast with me.”

Nothing.

“I swear, I won’t make you eat cat food for the rest of your stay. I honestly was just tired and set the table for one from sheer habit.”

Silence.

Thor crossed his arms, starting to get irritated. “Is this how it's going to be? You changing into a cat and hiding whenever you don’t feel like talking?”

Evidently yes, if the silence was anything to go by.

“Fine,” Thor huffed, and returned to the kitchen.

Maybe fewer things were going to change than he had originally thought – this seemed pretty familiar Loki-behaviour to Thor. And maybe it was the usual Loki-behaviour. Actually, it probably was. Of course Loki would act like a cat when he was one. And in that case, Loki would come out at his own time, not a moment sooner, and certainly not at Thor’s call.

Thor sat heavily on a chair, half of the cooled omelet on a plate before him. Crap. He might have stepped a little in too deep here, after all. He and Loki really needed to talk. There had to be a way to reach Loki’s human mind even in his cat form.

Loki crawled out when Thor was halfway done with his breakfast. He didn't shift, choosing to linger a little apologetically in his cat form by the sofa. He looked so much like _Thor's_ Loki that Thor, unthinking, crouched on the floor and extended his hand, just like he had always done in the past when a particularly loud clang of a pot had sent Loki into hiding, all fluffed out, and Thor had tried to make peace.

And just like always, Loki padded over to him and sniffed at his hand before butting his head into it.

“Aw.” Thor rubbed behind his ears out of sheer habit. Either Loki, too, fell easily into their old ways, or then he well and truly was an actual cat in his cat form. It didn’t even feel that weird, if Thor carefully avoided thinking about it.

He continued his petting, just to sooth Loki. In case he was still scared. Not because Thor missed it. “Turn into human?”

He almost expected Loki to ignore him, but his cat shimmered green and in a moment human-Loki was sitting on his knees right before Thor.

Thor realised that his hand was still sort of petting Loki's hair (which, yeah, _was_ as soft) and withdrew it a little reluctantly. “Thanks. And sorry,” he continued immediately, “The neck is a no-no. It was an accident, won't happen again.”

Loki flushed prettily. “No, I just. It's been a while since I last interacted with people as my human self, and cat instincts always stick after shifting.” He uttered a nervous laugh, brushing a strand of black hair behind his ear. “Being a cat is so much easier.”

Thor smiled at him. “I bet. Just eat and play and sleep, and enslave everyone with your cuteness.”

Loki looked at him coyly. “You think I'm cute?”

Thor snorted, and mentally reminded himself that they were speaking of Loki as a cat. “Stop fishing. You know you are. You've had me coo over you for months.”

Loki only laughed softly at that. Thor wanted to gather him up in his arms and hug him close for maybe about forever.

He resisted, barely. “Speaking of sticking cat instincts,” he said instead, because having this conversation couldn't be prolonged any longer. “What exactly happens when you turn into a cat? You're a _cat_ -cat then, right? But you seemed to understand me when I talked to you right now.”

As soon as Thor heard himself say it, he felt a shadow of unease. Loki _was_ a cat-cat in his animal form, right? Because if he wasn’t-- No, he had to be, right? Right?

“I am myself,” Loki said slowly, smile dying, gauging Thor warily. “My human mind and consciousness go nowhere, if that’s what you mean. But I also do have quite strong cat instincts. Especially if I spend a long time that way.”

Thor stared at him – and finally the valiant but brittle wall of denial shattered, the reality downing on him as the floating pieces slotted together in one brutal click. Everything Loki had ever done suddenly got an entirely new layer. Oh God, everything _Thor_ had ever done… _said_. It all crashed on him in terrible flashes and tattered memories: walking naked through his apartment, nuzzling Loki in bed, _baring his heart and soul…_ Oh good God, _Trevor._ If Thor hadn’t closed the bedroom door…

He groaned aloud and buried his face in his hands.

“Thor?”

Thor dropped his hands and whirled at Loki, face flaming red. “You heard everything! Saw everything! These past months when I thought I was alone, you-- you--! I can’t even put it in words! Are you telling me that this entire time you were fully aware of everything as a human?”

Loki licked his lips – his nervous habit. He opened his mouth.

“And don't even think to lie,” Thor barked. His cheeks burned like a pair of hot coals as little memories flitted through his strained brain.

Loki gulped. “Yes.”

Thor hid his face back in his hands – it seemed the safest place for the moment. He felt like wailing aloud. Never, ever in his life had he hoped so vehemently to be struck by a lighting before. All that stupid babbling over Loki like a total dumbass, all that blathering – and Loki _had heard everything_. Every time Loki had done something cute, or funny, or--

Hold on a moment. Thor dropped his hands from his face and turned to squint at Loki. “Wait. So every time you were being a total asshole, you absolutely fucking _knew_ what you were doing?”

Loki clearly hadn’t expected that. The little demon, he had probably thought his cuteness would distract Thor from the realisation.

“Well...”

That was a yes if Thor had ever heard one. “You dropped my grandmother's vase! On purpose!”

At least Loki had the decency to look… well, certainly not repentant, but a little guilty nonetheless. “It was an ugly vase and you hated it,” he mumbled, avoiding Thor's gaze, as if that was a perfectly reasonable excuse to go about destroying other people's property.

And oh, once the realisation finally sunk in, Thor was starting to get on a roll. “You yowled into my face at nights! And scratched me!”

“Cat instincts -”

“And when Trevor was here! You hid for the whole day and made me think you had escaped forever!” Oh God, the _things_ he had said then!

Loki blinked at him at that, looking oddly caught. A faint blush crept up his cheeks. “I...”

“You let me fret and worry and embarrass myself in front of Sif while you went and hid _in a washing machine!_ ”

“No, I, I only slept -”

“You knew full well what you were doing!” Embarrassment and indignation just kept fuelling Thor on. “If you are human even inside your cat shape, then you were acting like a jealous cat just to make me suffer! Deliberately!”

Again Thor got a weird flash of cat-Loki all fluffed out and lips pulling back for a hiss, and if he had doubted his sanity before, there was now no longer denying that Loki truly was Loki. The similarity was simply too striking.

“I wasn't--! I told you, cat instincts stick when I spend a lot of time in that shape! Besides, I only wanted to give some space for you and your ridiculous lover. If you are just going to insult me -” He began glimmering green.

“Is this that trick again when you’re being an asshole and make me feel guilty about it?” Thor asked dryly. “Can you please not turn into a cat whenever the conversation takes a turn you don't like? It makes figuring all this out a little harder than it probably has to be.”

Loki folded his arms tightly and visibly unhappily across his chest, but at least he remained human. “Fine. Anything else you wish to know and then get angry about?”

Thor sighed, having got most of the steam out of his system. “I'm not angry, Loki. I didn't mean to snap at you. But this is a bit much to take in.”

Frankly, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know more, but it was probably better to remove the band-aid quickly and as neatly as possible. If he asked his questions now, at least he wouldn't have to torment himself about it later.

“Okay. Two questions. Then we can put a lid on this conversation.”

Loki only eyed him mistrustfully with folded arms, waiting.

Thor nearly couldn't believe that he was seriously about to voice the next question, but then again, a whole lot seemed to be going on with total disregard to whether or not he could believe any of it, so it didn't make much of a difference anyway. “All right. Sorcerer. What does it mean, exactly?”

“It means a person who practises magic,” Loki replied smartly.

Thor didn't let his snide tone deter himself. “And in your case, specifically? What kind of magic?”

Loki shrugged, as if Thor had asked about something as mundane as his favourite colour. “I practise illusory magic, mostly. And cat-shifting. Obviously.” He plucked with long fingers a wavy black hair from his sleeve and gracefully dropped in on the floor. “Dream-shaping.”

That caught a loose string in Thor's head and pulled. It was an elusive thought, a vague memory almost formed in his mind, but it slipped away before he caught it. “What does that even mean? You can get into people's heads?”

“Not as such.” Another hair, another fluid motion to dispose of it for Thor to hoover later. “It's just a branch of illusory magic. It’s not as if I could get into your head and see what you see. I simply… create an illusion and weave it into your dream.”

The same evasive thought floated again into Thor’s mind, only to hover there teasingly just out of reach. Dream-shaping sounded harmless enough, and yet…

“Did you, er, ever do that to me?”

“No,” Loki said quickly, but the way his entire face immediately blossomed pink told a different story.

Thor crossed his arms. “Is that so.”

Loki focused on the very important and evidently most pressing task of smoothing out the oversized sleeves of his – Thor’s – hoodie. “Only when you slept restlessly. Because your tossing disturbed my sleep. The second question?”

Thor stared at him. He couldn’t recall a single dream he’d had, but now that he thought about it, he had slept exceptionally well for the past six months – well, after Loki’s night race phase, anyway. Had that been magic? As in, performed on him? By Loki?

And honestly? Remembering the soft puddle of fur against his side, he could actually believe it. “That’s… well.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

Loki just waved a hand at him dismissively, still avoiding his gaze. “The second question, Thor.”

For once, Thor agreed with the change of subject; the lingering pink on Loki’s cheeks made him feel things he really didn’t feel like exploring right now. “Right. So. This is kind of personal.”

Loki’s posture tensed subtly – he clearly didn't like _personal_. Still, if they were to coexist in Thor's home for an unidentified period of time, Thor thought he kind of should know. Especially since he had overstepped his boundaries with this particular issue twice already, and he didn't want to do it again. That didn’t make the subject any less touchy, so to speak.

Ah, well. The worst that could happen was Loki shifting into a cat and hiding under the sofa (and maybe scratching Thor’s eyes out as he slept). Thor drew a fortifying breath. “What's with the neck thing?”

Loki startled at the question; his hand automatically rose to touch his neck.

Okay, maybe this one was a bit too personal. Thor opened his mouth to retract his question, but Loki beat him to it.

“I mentioned an unpleasant individual,” he said, not looking at Thor. He swallowed heavily, hiding his hands in the loose sleeves. “Well, I had an unpleasant experience regarding that individual and the part of my body in question.”

His words hit Thor in the chest with the force of an icy sledgehammer. Tiny cold shards permeated his veins and spread all over his body, the implication of the words dropped so seemingly casually freezing his blood. Suddenly all he wanted to do was to reach out and pull his darling kitten into his arms and hold him and protect him from every fucker who as much as _thought_ of harming him.

“Now you see why I ran with nothing but the clothes on my back,” Loki continued, shrugging, even though the motion looked somewhat forced. “And why no one must know of my true form. I'd rather not relive that particular experience.”

With great effort, Thor kept his hands to himself – he wasn’t sure if his touch would be welcome considering the unsteady ground they were both balancing on. “Loki. You have to go to the police. That fucker tried to-- We can't just do nothing!”

But Loki only shook his head. “I told you yesterday in no ambiguous words that the police doesn't know about any of this. And besides, if I went, he would know. He has a large network, Thor. The police would never catch him. No. That’s not an option, so drop it.”

“Then… then what about that Shield you mentioned? You said they keep an eye out for sorcerers.”

Loki's eyes flashed. “Never,” he hissed.

The vehemence of his response took Thor aback. “But -”

“No,” Loki uttered, curt and cold, like it was the end of the matter. “They aren't any better. Once you get caught in SHIELD’s radar, you will never be truly free again. Did you know that they chip us, Thor? They pretend it’s for our best, for protection, but in reality they only want us monitored, and if they as much as suspect you might be a threat, they make you disappear with no one the wiser. No.” Loki shook his head again, more fiercely. “I've managed to keep from their eye so far. I'm not going to turn myself in now and get chipped like an animal. I won't lose my freedom. I won't.”

The frenzy in his wide eyes fazed Thor. “There must be _s_ _ome_ institution that takes care of your safety.”

“We do it ourselves, Thor,” Loki said quietly.

Something fierce and protective bloomed in Thor’s chest at those achingly soft words, and when he looked at Loki, his lonely little kitten, he knew he was a lost cause.

“Then I'll protect you.”

Loki’s pretty green eyes snapped up to him, and Thor's mouth nearly ran dry. He had no idea if he was digging his own grave here, maybe even quite literally if there was an actual murder-fuck at Loki’s heels, but it didn’t matter – he meant every word that left his mouth. “I swear, Loki, you’ll be safe here, I will make sure of it. Anyone with ill intentions will have to step over my dead, cold body to get to you.”

Loki stared at him for a long enough moment that Thor began fearing he had overstepped his boundaries. But then Loki slow-blinked at him, and, before Thor could react, leant in and butted his head against Thor's shoulder. “Thank you.”

And then he was up, poking at the remaining half of the omelet with a spatula, wrinkling his nose at it like nothing significant had happened. “It's cold.”

Thor slowly got up on his feet, dumbfounded. He rubbed his shoulder where Loki had leant into it. “What? Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I'll make you a fresh one.”

Loki arched a neat brow at him, pale cheeks coloured with that faint pink that Thor was growing to-- like. “You do realise that I am actually a fully functioning human and perfectly capable of feeding myself?”

“Ah. Right.”

A little shit-eating smirk stretched on Loki's thin lips. “Besides, in your place I would worry less about breakfast and more about getting to work on time.”

…Shit.

Thor did make it to work on time, barely. But the image of Loki standing by his stove nestled snugly into a safe corner of his mind, and, try as Thor might to ignore it, refused to leave for the entire time he had to be away. And if Thor’s stomach churned funnily at the memory, why, it really must have been the omelet.

 

 


	6. Pets and Changing Circumstances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contrary to (possible) popular belief, I have not forgotten any of my on-going stories.
> 
> Everything in this chapter either didn't exist, or was compressed into two paragraphs in the original version. I felt the need to write it open, and so this thing turned into an extra chapter that squeezed itself in (which probably shows). Hence the change in the chapter count of the story. :P

 

 

The thing about Thor was that he didn't always think things through. He usually preferred an 'I'll figure it out as I go' kind of approach to sitting down and actually doing the figuring-out, and while it usually did work out in the end, he sometimes found himself thinking that maybe, this time, taking a moment to consider might have been the wiser course of action.

This was quickly proving to be one of those times. 'This' referring to, well, to the recent changes in his life, and, more specifically, to his way of dealing with them – or rather, not dealing with them, as the matter stood.

Because it was here an now that Thor finally fully understood what a dumbass he was – a revelation which had come in the form of him realising that Loki didn't have a phone.

“ _Thor._ ”

Sif's voice broke through the general murmur of the pub and Thor's thoughts, and he blinked, focusing his gaze on her and a very unimpressed-looking Val across from him. Each woman held a nearly empty pint in her hands; Thor's own stood almost untouched in a wet circle on the dark surface of the table.

He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. What was it you said?”

Sif and Val exchanged a look whose meaning Thor neither knew, nor, frankly, wanted to know – it was one of _those looks._

Val scowled at him over the table and crossed her arms. “What's wrong with you? First we neither see nor hear from you for ages, and when we finally manage to drag you off your arse and out for a bit, _on Friday evening_ , you keep spacing out on us and-- _doing_ _that_.”

Her tone had Thor hastily tugging the sleeve of his suit over his watch, which he had only quickly checked. Barely glanced at, really. For the umpteenth time, admittedly, but in his defence, he had thought he was being subtle.

“Doing what?” he asked, and tried to mask his guilt by taking a healthy gulp of his beer. He winced; the ice had already melted.

Val rolled her eyes at him with a loud exhale, but Sif squinted, her sharp eyes practically digging into Thor. “Why are you so… shifty?”

“I'm not shifty.”

“Thor, we literally had to ambush you after work. When you're not checking your phone you check your watch, you don't hear a word we say, and now you're playing dumb and clearly avoiding looking at me. I'm not stupid, and neither are you, so stop acting like it. What's going on?”

Oh boy. If even Thor himself knew.

“Thor,” Sif said, her neat brows furrowing. “Is everything all right?”

Honestly, Thor hadn't got a clue. The past week had been a fucking trip. Just last Monday he had gone from a normal cat owner to a cat-less guy with a human flatmate instead, but that wasn't something he could tell Sif, was it? So instead he took another gulp of his lukewarm beer and hoped that his lie sounded more convincing than he felt. “It's nothing.”

Val scoffed. “Yeah? You let the ice water down your beer.”

Her point was an incriminating one; he never, ever dragged a pint so slowly that the ice melted, it had become something of a matter of pride throughout the years. Except for when he was distraught, like after the weekend he'd spent packing up his mother's stuff alone because his father hadn't been able to pull himself together; or when he was thoroughly distracted, like when he had for the first time witnessed Jane getting carried away with explaining her research during their business lunch. But both of those instances had been ages ago. It had been a while since anything so earth-shattering had happened that Thor would have forgotten to drink his beer.

Until now, that was. He glanced at his watch again before he could stop himself; it was almost eight.

“Did we ruin a date or something?” Sif asked, still frowning at him.

“No date,” Thor said quickly. His palms were beginning to sweat. “It's just. Er. Loki.”

“Loki?” Sif and Val both echoed, Sif surprised, Val outright disbelieving.

“Okay, you've _got_ to meet new people,” Val muttered into her glass at the same time as Sif frowned and asked, “What about Loki?”

 _He doesn't have a phone!_ Thor wanted to shout, but his friends wouldn't understand at all why Loki not having a phone had Thor sitting in an anthill, and would think him utterly mad instead. And so Thor forced himself to swallow his frustration and keep his tone neutral.

“I think he's sick,” he said lamely, and finished his beer with a grimace.

 

 

 

Good news was, Loki wasn't sick. Bad news was, it was much more complicated than that.

Truth was, he and Loki were yet to find a smooth way to coexist together. Loki himself had practically admitted on that first morning that he was unused to living not alone (as human, at any rate), and though Thor had plenty of experience with flatmates and even that short period of living together with Jane, he _wasn't_ used to his pets turning out to be people instead. He felt like someone had taken a jar, neatly arranged Thor's life in it, then shaken the jar thoroughly and put it back down. It was a mess – an awkward one.

The problem with Loki was that Thor knew and didn't know him. He felt so familiar, like he belonged in every way, and yet he was a person far beyond what Thor had learnt to think of him.

It didn't help that Loki was remarkably stingy when it came to sharing anything about his life, _that_ Thor had discovered quickly enough. Loki evaded every question Thor asked about his assailant, and nimbly sidestepped every gently inquisitive poke to his personal life. Meanwhile Loki himself must know Thor almost disturbingly well, having observed him from such a close distance for months. It was a little unfair. Loki knew Thor as _Thor_ , but Thor had known Loki only as a cat, and the human Loki probably wasn't the same as the cat Loki at all. Sure, Thor had no doubt that human Loki was as wilful as his cat self, and he clearly possessed the same feline grace as human, and yes, he was every bit as cute too, although in a different way, but human Loki wasn't cuddly at all, and anyway, those were hardly the traits to cover the entirety of someone's personality.

With Loki being such an enigma, Thor had been having a hard time getting a grip of their new relationship. He was a straightforward guy, and Loki was anything but, and so Thor hardly knew which way to sit when he was around Loki. He was constantly afraid of breaching a topic or doing something that would send Loki under the sofa again.

Not that there seemed to be much danger of that, any more. Because Loki had stopped shifting into his cat form when Thor was around.

Of course, there was no particular need for him to shift, now that Thor knew the truth about him. It was only natural that Loki wanted to be his human self after living as a cat for so long. It made perfect sense. Besides, Thor wanted him to be human, too – he wanted to get to know Loki also as a person. Still, he couldn't help but feel that it was because Loki wasn't _comfortable_ enough to do it around Thor any longer, which… was the exact opposite of Thor's every intention.

It was the absolute worst part about the situation: Loki clearly felt uncomfortable around Thor. Or wary, at the very least. He had soon begun to avoid Thor as much as possible: he always stayed out of the kitchen while Thor prepared dinner after work, and after they had both eaten, he would shoo Thor out of the kitchen, in turn, and do the dishes (despite Thor’s protests). The dinner itself was always somewhat awkward as well, because small-talk was nothing but inane in their situation, and afterwards Loki would lock himself in the bathroom for at least an hour-long bath. By the time he would come out, Thor had to begin preparing for bed, and just like that, another day without proper interaction – gone.

And it was all because Thor was a thick-headed mule.

Last night he had come home from work and, as usual, started with the dinner. It had occurred to him then that there were no drying dishes, let alone dirty ones, and no ingredients missing from the fridge. He had asked Loki about it, but when he had got his answer, he had almost wished he hadn’t. Turned out, Loki shifted and ate cat food when he was alone. Because apparently he thought Thor might get angry if he ate ‘Thor’s’ food. He hadn't said that part aloud, of course, but Thor wasn't dumb. It had all downed on him them: why Loki constantly seemed to tiptoe around Thor, why he insisted on washing the dishes after every dinner, why he never asked for anything. He thought Thor would kick him out at the slightest misstep, didn't he?

And Thor hadn't exactly done anything to make him believe otherwise, had he? Because beyond telling Loki to _'_ _just… be at home_ _'_ , he hadn't put any effort into making him _feel_ at home. He had just rolled with it, thinking they would 'figure it out' as they went, and it was only now, when he was sitting in a pub with a pint of warm beer, that the extent of his negligence was finally downing on him.

Loki didn't have a phone. _Loki didn't have a phone._ Loki didn't have fucking anything, how the hell hadn't Thor thought about that before? No phone, no money, no clothes of his own, not even a damned bed, because he was still sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and he certainly didn't have the house key, which, even if Loki didn't intend to go out, would be importantly symbolic, at least. But no, Thor hadn't even thought of any of that, not until now that he had wanted to send a quick text about being home later, and couldn't.

Way to make someone feel welcome. _No fucking wonder_ Loki had only smiled like he were only humouring Thor when Thor had told him to feel at home. Thor had sent a bloody message with his behaviour, hadn't he? He had to rectify that, soon.

If only Loki himself didn’t make it so difficult.

 

 

 

Despite the chill of early March, Thor's palms were sweating by the time he got to his door and fished for the key in his pocket. It would be fine. It wasn't even too late – barely nine o'clock. Thor really had nothing to feel guilty about. Hadn’t Loki told him himself? He was a fully functioning adult, and had been it long before he had been forced to disguise himself in his cat form.

Loki was curled in his corner of the sofa with his knees drawn up and Thor's collection of Edgar Allan Poe's best perched against his thighs when Thor stepped in. He looked cosy in the light of a single reading lamp, and, yes, huggable in Thor's home clothes. He looked like he belonged.

He also looked like he was making a point of not looking at Thor.

“Hello,” Thor said carefully, his belly already sinking.

“Hi,” Loki answered, gracefully turning a page. He didn't look up from the book.

Thor hung his coat, bent to unlace his boots and carefully placed them on the shoe rack. He went to wash his hands, and spent more time by the sink than the action alone necessarily demanded. Then he told himself to man up and headed to the living-room, where he sat on the opposite end of the sofa.

“Sorry I'm late,” he said. “Val and -”

“Whatever for?” Loki interrupted him, nonchalant as can be, his tone indifferent in the most passive-aggressive manner Thor had ever witnessed.

It threw Thor off a little, and it took him a few seconds to get his bearings. “Val and Sif ambushed me,” he continued cautiously, trying to gauge Loki's mood. It wasn't hard; he could practically see a tail swishing from side to side. “I've been kind of ignoring them for a while, and couldn't find an excuse to say no without slighting them.”

At this, Loki finally, _finally_ deigned to acknowledge Thor's presence by looking at him. His pale-green eyes were as devoid of emotion as his flat tone. “Thor, you are not bound to me in any way. You time is yours to do with as you please. You certainly have no obligation to explain to me how you choose spend it.”

“Yes but,” Thor began, and stopped there because he had no idea of how to finish that sentence, and also Loki had returned to his book.

He sighed. “Anyway. I thought. Well, we thought. With Sif and Val. That I'd invite them over one of these days. Maybe next weekend. I mean Volstagg and Hogun and Fandral too. It's been a while.”

The pink tip of Loki's tongue flashed between thin lips to wet the pad of his finger, and he turned another page.

Thor had to take a deep breath to keep his frustration out of his voice. “And I wondered if you're okay with that.”

“It's your home,” Loki said mildly with a little shrug, eyes never leaving that stupid book.

Thor wanted to howl, but he bit it down and got up before he could say something nasty, retreating to the kitchen. Human Loki was remarkably similar to cat Loki in this respect – only he hid behind his book instead of the sofa.

Thor opened the cupboard with perhaps more force than necessary and picked his favourite mug that had a cow in a red cape on it; he needed a mug of hot chocolate, and he needed it now.

How the hell was he supposed to sort anything out like this, when Loki was half wary of him, half ignoring him because he was apparently still the same little shit as he had been as a cat at times? What was even going on? This past week with Loki had been constant balancing between normal and new, and everything was awkward and strained and not at all like on that first morning when Loki and Thor had talked, and Loki had so adorably bumped his head against Thor's shoulder. Was it really that Loki feared Thor getting angry at him? Or what? Could Thor truly have sent that kind of a message? Or was it that Loki was feeling guilty after, well, after exploiting Thor's unassuming hospitality by pretending to be an ordinary cat? Or was Loki just enjoying being difficult and making it difficult for Thor as well?

Deep breaths. He and Loki really needed to talk. Properly. Because this was becoming a proper mess, and it would only get worse unless stopped. Even Thor had his limits.

But first, hot chocolate. Thor opened the fridge to get some milk, and froze.

“Oh no,” he whispered under his breath, and reached for one of the three plastic containers in the fridge that hadn't been there in the morning. He opened it: stake, probably the one he had been keeping in his freezer but never gotten around to preparing.

Fuck.

He checked the other two, too. One held baked potatoes with vegetables, and the other a simple fresh salad.

Fuck, fuck, _fuck_.

Thor groaned quietly and thumped his forehead against the fridge. Great. Awesome. Loki had made dinner, and Thor hadn't come home to eat it, and he hadn't even notified Loki because _Loki_ _didn't have a phon_ _e_.

That was it. Tomorrow, right from the morning, Thor would go and have another key made. Then he would go to the biggest furniture store in town and buy a new sofa, which would also unfold into a bed, and he would make sure it was the comfiest sofa-bed in the entire country. Then he'd go and buy Loki a phone – that should give him some independence. Hell, he'd open a new account that Loki could use if he wanted to online-shop for his own clothes or books or anything, if he wasn't ready to venture out of the house yet.

Well, maybe not that last one, not before they had talked a bit more (that is, talked at all). But everything else he would do, and then Loki would see that Thor hadn’t been kidding when he'd said that it was Loki's home, too. Temporarily or-- well. Of course temporarily. But still.

 

 

 

Another thing about Thor was that when he made a promise, he kept his promise. Even if the _promisee_ was unaware of it until the very moment the promise was realised.

“So, what do you think?” Thor asked proudly, hands on his hips, beholding his (their) new sofa.

Loki stood beside him, nervously tugging at the cuff of his hoodie, glancing between Thor and the brand-new piece of furniture standing on the place of the old sofa. It fit there just perfectly, even if Thor said so himself: it was longer than the old one, so it could accommodate more people at once with more comfort, and he liked the colour better. His old sofa, now with direct comparison, looked almost embarrassingly worn and shabby, something that Thor hadn't really noticed before. Yes, this was so, so much better.

And most importantly:

“Look, it even unfolds into a bed. It's very easy, like this.”

Loki did look. He stood there, by the sofa, while Thor demonstrated how quick and easy the transformation was, and looked.

Thor didn't let his lack of response deter himself; Loki was still probably a little overwhelmed about the phone Thor had got him. It wasn't the newest model, but entirely sufficient for basic use. Granted, Thor could have warned him beforehand, but he had wanted to surprise him – which he had clearly managed, too, if Loki’s rosy cheeks were anything to go by.

Thor jumped on the unfolded bed and sprawled on it to demonstrate how comfortable it was, almost stupidly giddy. “I made sure to test every option at the store. I think this was the best one.” He sat up, grinning up at Loki, bounced a couple of times. “Try it, it's surprisingly soft. But if you like, we can even put your mattress on top, it will be softer than cotton candy.”

“You look like a puppy on the Christmas eve,” Loki told him. His voice was flat, but there was an amused glint in his eyes, and the corners of his lips tugged upwards as if he couldn't help it.

His smile made warmth spread on Thor's neck, and he rubbed at it self-consciously. “Yeah, well. What do you think?”

“Mmm. Handy.”

Thor laughed and made some space on the bed, offering his hand to Loki. “Come try it.”

Loki’s gaze jumped from Thor’s eyes to his outstretched hand, and, after a brief moment of hesitation, he took it and let Thor lightly pull him down.

“So?” Thor repeated, eager for Loki’s verdict.

“Better than the mattress,” Loki allowed, sending an impish grin at Thor, and made to pull his hand back.

Thor held on. “Wait, there's-- there's one more thing.”

Loki’s eyes snapped to his, all humour gone in an instant, replaced with evident alarm.

Thor swallowed. His throat felt ridiculously dry all of a sudden, which was stupid, because it wasn’t like he was, was, well. Proposing or anything. It was just a key; just a symbolic little gesture entirely expected of every flatmate.

He reached into his pocket and turned Loki’s hand palm-up. He cleared his throat, pressed the newly-made double of his home key into the soft, warm palm. Gently he closed Loki’s fingers around it and returned Loki’s hand onto his own lap. “For you.”

Loki’s lips parted, then closed and parted again. He dropped his gaze onto the key resting on his palm, then back at Thor. His voice, when he found it, was barely above a whisper. “I don’t go out.”

Thor smiled at him, fighting the urge to brush wavy black strands behind his ear, unable to look away from Loki’s beautiful, wide eyes. A strange, serene joy took over him, as though someone had squeezed a droplet of warmth into his heart, and now it was spreading all over his body with each steady pump. He abruptly regretted letting go of Loki's hand – it would have been a perfect moment for a reassuring light squeeze to emphasise his meaning. “Just in case. You live here too, now.”

Loki's fingers curled around the key as he pressed it to his chest with both hands. He didn’t say anything, but he didn't have to; the slow blink he gave Thor felt significant in itself.

It would have been the most natural thing in the world for Thor to place his palms on each rosy cheek and lean in. To pull Loki into an embrace and to hold him close, to-- to care for him.

But that wasn’t what Loki had signed up for when he had come looking for refuge, so Thor didn’t.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ending scene jumped at me unplanned, during the third round of editing. With its inclusion I finally deemed it reasonable to add the 'slow romance' tag.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos and comments. They are invaluable. <3


	7. Cat Owner's Day-to-Day

 

 

It was a quiet, pleasant Wednesday morning when Loki, taking a dainty sip of his still steaming tea and looking absently out of the window, said, “I think I'll go out today.”

Thor's lips closed around an empty spoon. He hastily scooped more oatmeal on it.

“Oh.”

But the fresh spoonful didn't make it to his mouth either; though a little belatedly, Loki's almost disconcertingly careless announcement sank in, and Thor lowered the spoon back into his bowl of porridge. “ _Oh_. Okay. Is it, is it safe?”

Loki shrugged, blowing at his tea, casual as can be as if he hadn't spent the past few months never sticking even the tip of his nose outside, let alone an entire foot. “I haven't been home for far too long. It's time I had a closer look at the situation.”

Thor gave up trying to eat altogether. “Your home?”

Loki rolled his eyes in that mostly good-natured way that was becoming increasingly familiar to Thor. “Yes, Thor, my home. It might surprise you, but I didn't always live on the streets as a cat. Of course I have a home. Or had. I'll probably have to relocate once this… situation, is over. I’ve no doubt that _he_ has it under watch, and it has been vacant for so long that even SHIELD might have taken note of it, too. It's likely to be monitored.”

Of course Thor had been aware, on an intellectual level, that Loki must have had some place to live in before he fled. It was just that the sudden leap from stubborn silence on the matter to such an offhand remark, as if it was nothing, was not something Thor had expected dropped at a breakfast table twenty minutes before he had to leave for work.

“Hold on,” he said, frowning. “That's-- monitored? And you intend to go there? Alone? Where is it?”

“I'll go as a cat, of course,” Loki said, as if Thor should have predicted something so elementary. He picked up a spoon and carefully stirred his tea. “No one knows my spirit animal. Apart from you.”

Thor knew perfectly well that the reason he knew Loki's spirit animal was circumstance, not trust as such, but it still made him a little warm inside. However, not even the Loki-induced warmth was enough to dissipate his worry.

“It doesn't sound safe.”

Loki flicked his wrist dismissively. “I won't go in. Just close enough to check if my wards have been breached.”

 _Wards_. Thor shook his head; all the magical mentions took some getting used to, still.

“I still don't like it,” he muttered a little petulantly and finally stuffed a spoonful into his mouth. Maybe, if he focused on eating, nasty and totally unnecessary sayings like _curiosity killed the cat_ would stay out of his mind. Whenever he imagined Loki somewhere out there all alone, all he could think of was a faceless giant of a man looming over the little cat Loki, reaching for him with his huge fists, a malevolent smile on his lips and eyes gleaming red.

He chewed harder to make the image go away. “And what if they have been breached? What will you do then?”

“Keep an eye on the situation, I suppose. There are quite a few things I left behind that I wouldn't mind getting back.”

“What things. Spell books and alchemy scrolls?”

Loki snickered, like Thor had said something hilarious. It was a rare sound in the household still, so it was hard to take offence, even if the joke was on Thor.

“What?” he demanded, but his lips were efficiently undermining his credibility by tugging into a smile of their own.

Loki's eyes sparkled with amusement when he looked at Thor. “I'm not a witch from the woods, Thor. I've got all my important notes and texts downloaded on secure cloud services. I've had access to them through your laptop for ages. Actual spell books are just for aesthetics.”

“Oh.” Thor felt his cheeks reddening a little. Well, it wasn't that Loki fit very well into the image of a classic witch from the fairy tales, anyway, but--

“Hold on,” Thor said. “Through _my_ laptop? I never-- it's password-protected!”

Loki's answering grin was so endearingly cheeky that Thor almost wanted to pinch his nose in retaliation. He didn't, because he valued his eyes and his general well-being – which, granted, Loki had never directly threatened, but there was sometimes a stabby vibe – and also because that smug little smile was cute beyond propriety.

“Mm, yes, but who do you think was purring on your lap while you were using your laptop?”

If Thor had earlier blushed a little, now he flushed bright scarlet. Loki's words created an entirely different picture in his mind than what he knew the actual context to be, and that picture wasn't appropriate for a breakfast table. Wasn't appropriate, period. Not when Loki was sitting just across from him, no matter how he was smirking.

“Right,” he said, and shovelled more porridge into his mouth. As if it wasn't enough to discover yet another thing Thor hadn't considered from when he had thought he was the only inhabitant in the house with human understanding. Well, at least now he knew, in part, what Loki had been doing all those hours Thor spent at work.

“Don't worry, I didn't touch any of your personal files,” Loki reassured him, waving his hand at Thor and picking up his tea again. “Anyway, that's not to say I don't have my own personal little home library, but it's mostly normal books. Spells aren't like cookbook recipes. Every sorcerer interacts with his own magic differently. You can of course write down how you achieved something with your magic, but it's unlikely that anyone else can recreate the same following the same steps. Everyone has to forge their own way in this art.”

“Hmh.” Thor poked at his porridge, finding his appetite dwindling. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to his next question, but he knew he had to voice it. “And what if your wards have not been breached?”

“It's possible the whole area is monitored,” Loki said, suddenly very interested in his tea as well. “Even if no one has broken inside, it's probable that at least SHIELD has an eye on it. I have to turn into human to enter it, anyway, so if they have the place under surveillance, they might be able to catch me. I can't take that risk until I'm absolutely certain there's no danger of that.”

“Of course,” Thor said as neutrally as he was able, hating himself for being relieved about Loki's inability to return to his own home quite yet.

He couldn't help it. It was just too nice to fall into this new, comfortable routine with Loki. Things had taken a drastic turn for the better between them after Thor's gifts: little by little, Loki had relaxed in the course of the following days – bloomed, even, or that's what it looked like to Thor.

They were now rapidly settling into new habits around each other, like puzzle pieces falling in together. No more eating breakfast alone; Loki had taken to joining Thor more often than not, emerging from his nest of blankets on the new sofa-bed by the time Thor was finished in the bathroom, blinking sleepily until he got a cup of tea in his hands. He made a lovely picture at the table in the gentle morning light, one that should be framed and hung in an art gallery with a name like “Elegance”, or, depending on the day, “Gordian knot, in black”. Thor wasn't, in general, bashful by nature, but these shared mornings with Loki felt more intimate than anything else he could have named on the spot.

That was maybe the reason why Thor had gifted Frigga's teacup with the matching tea plate to Loki the first time they ate breakfast together. Frigga wouldn't have wanted the only keepsake that Thor had of hers to be forgotten, as if she herself were a dusty memory in the far corner of Thor's cupboard instead of the bright, laughing light she had always been. Giving it to Loki had felt right, somehow. Loki had secretly used it ever since he had come to live at Thor's, and though initially such audacity had piqued Thor, he had quickly grown to feel like in a way, Loki had been keeping Frigga's memory alive by giving purpose to something of hers that she had loved.

She would have liked that her cup belonged to Loki now, Thor thought. She would have liked Loki. It was silly, perhaps, but somehow, through that dainty little cup with intricate golden swirls, Thor felt as if Loki and his mother were bonding.

So yes, it was going well now. It got… sort of cosy, actually. Thor quickly learnt that he liked few things better than sharing breakfast with Loki before work, or coming home and finding Loki curled on the sofa with a book in his hands, Thor's old hoodie swallowing him whole. (Loki had online-shopped for some perfectly fitting yoga pants and loose long-sleeved tops of his own, but he wordlessly refused – evidently – letting go of Thor's hoodie. Thor didn't mind). The tense awkwardness was fading between them, making space for watching films together, or pottering around with their respective little things, the other's presence no longer a strain, but rather a comfortable awareness of not being alone. At least that was what Thor felt. He sincerely hoped Loki felt the same. But, watching one evening Loki clicking his tongue disapprovingly and despotically rearranging Thor's humble bookshelf, Thor thought that Loki was at least on his way to settling in well.

They still didn't really… _talk_ , though. Not of serious matters, anyhow; apparently what drove Loki into hiding was a taboo, one that resulted in sullen silences if as much as alluded to. But, instead, Loki had begun dropping bits of his life in casual conversation, little comments about his research on illusory magic, or like how he enjoyed assembling huge jigsaw puzzles and taking them apart as soon as he had finished them, or what little delicacies he liked the most. (That last one Thor had obediently taken as the hint it had been meant to be.)

However, even with the great progress he had made with Loki, Thor was forced to admit to one little want: he missed his Loki-cat. His kitty's absence felt like a loss of something that he had previously taken for granted, and only realised he shouldn’t have when there suddenly was no more stress-relief petting to be had, no more comforting cat-affection, no more cuddling around his kitty at night. No more playing, either, and certainly no more bombarding his friends with cute cat photos.

Actually, that Thor even had the dozens of photos and short videos of Loki on his phone made him feel like the worst kind of creep, now that he knew the truth. But he couldn't bring himself to erase them. He hadn't known Loki was actually human at the time of taking the pictures, and it wasn't like the photos were indecent in any way, right? After all, they were simply of a cat in play, or asleep, or just being cute for no particular reason. Nothing incriminating. So Thor sort of just pushed the issue out of his mind and pretended it didn’t exist, letting the photos remain but forbidding himself to look at them. He had even – reluctantly – replaced his phone background from Loki sleeping in a coil, belly up, to a boring generic scenery.

He sometimes did bend his self-imposed rules a little, though, if he couldn't sleep at night (that, and at work between clients if he got really really bored, but that was that, honest!). He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but the quality of his sleep seemed to have gone down a little since recently. Maybe Loki, with his dream magic, truly had influenced his dreams in a positive way, because Thor hadn't had any weird ones back then, at least not the restless kind that he sometimes had now.

And yes, it was at night, especially, when Thor missed cuddling his kitty. He just missed the warmth of that soft little fur ball against his side, the feeling of care and affection that came with a physical touch, be it a pet or a human. It was a bit weird, missing that, because Thor wasn't sure if he missed cuddling his pet or if he just wanted to cuddle Loki.

Better… better not to delve into that too much.

 

 

 

“You're allowed to say no.”

“I told you, Thor. I don’t mind.”

It was almost three weeks since Thor had agreed with Val and Sif to invite them all over for some beer and boardgames. It had already been longer than he had initially promised, for which he knew Val was slightly cross with him – she suspected he was hiding something, she had said so herself – but Thor hadn’t wanted to hurry with it, not while he and Loki were still finding their footing. Now, however, he felt that the ground was secure enough for him to bring up the matter again.

He hadn’t been certain how Loki would take it; after all, they hadn’t talked of Thor’s friends at all yet, and Loki (and Thor, for that matter) had been adamant that his secret remained just that – a secret. He wasn’t sure what he had expected from Loki – perhaps similar passive-aggressive nonchalance Loki had displayed on that eye-opening Friday evening a few weeks back – but now that he had mentioned the little gathering, Loki seemed genuinely fine with it.

However, Thor wasn’t yet reassured. He wasn’t going to repeat his earlier mistakes quite so soon after he had learnt the lesson.

“Are you sure?” he asked, keeping an eye on Loki’s face even as he began troweling soil with his hands from the bag to the large flowerpot between him and Loki, where Loki was holding the overgrown spider plant in place. “You would have to turn into cat for the entire evening.”

Loki quirked a brow. “If that's an issue, I can go out while they’re here. You can say you took me to your father's or something.”

Thor snorted. As if he would shoo Loki out of the house for any reason, let alone for as trivial as having friends over. As if he didn’t already hate it with vehemence when Loki ventured out in his cat form, his double of the house key jingling against the little golden name plate on his collar.

As if Loki hadn’t noticed that.

“Of course it’s not an issue,” Thor grumbled, not bothering to mention that no one in their right mind would for one second believe that Odin would accept a cat in his house, if he had any say in it. That, too, Loki was well aware of, because Thor’s father hadn’t kept it a secret the one time he had visited Thor’s flat with Loki there, before Christmas.

“Then why are you making it sound like one?” Loki asked tartly, pulling his hands out of the pot once there was enough soil to keep the plant upright. He began patting down the little mounds that Thor kept adding.

“I’m not! I thought it might be an issue for _you_. You haven’t been shifting into cat for weeks.” Well, other than for out-going purposes. It came out far too petulant to Thor’s liking, and he quickly amended, lest Loki draw weird conclusions, “I just thought that you might find it too restrictive or boring now that you can be human again, is all.”

There was finally enough soil in the pot to support the spider plant properly – hopefully it would thrive now that it had more space to spread out its roots and grow. Thor joined Loki’s efforts in evening out the bumps; their dirty fingers brushed each other more than once.

“Oh, Thor,” Loki drawled, and Thor raised his gaze from the plant to Loki’s face.

Loki's eyes were sparkling with the same mischief that Thor well recognised from the times before, back when the eyes he had seen it in had been greener, but essentially the same. It was a look to which Thor had quickly become conditioned to respond with creeping dread.

Loki’s lips stretched into a wide, satisfied smile. “Don’t worry. I'll find some way to keep myself entertained.”

Somehow, his silk-smooth voice did nothing to ease Thor’s fears.

 

 

 

Loki stayed true to his words. He used the situation shamelessly for his own amusement, very clearly enjoying playing the part of an unruly house cat and making mischief at Thor’s friends.

He scratched Fandral when he tried to pet him, and played with Hogun's shoelaces until the laces began to fray. He made sure to shed as much cat hair as he could on Val's scarf that she had carelessly left on a chair in the foyer, and Volstagg's mighty beard proved too much of a temptation for sharp little claws to resist. Only Sif was spared Loki's mischief, probably because she liked cats and knew when to pay attention to Loki and when to let him be.

No one, except for Val and a little bit for Fandral, seemed to mind Loki's antics in particular capacity, though, because Loki was terribly adorable and made sure to use his cuteness to his advantage. His innocent little cat face could have fooled anyone.

It shouldn’t fool Thor, because he now knew more than ever that Loki was, in fact, anything but innocent in his tricks – and it _didn’t_ , it didn’t fool him, and yet he found it impossible to admonish Loki even purely for show.

Thor couldn’t help it. He was simply far too happy to see Loki as a cat again, playing with Sif and Hogun and showing off his acrobatic skills when he chased the thread. It wasn’t that Thor tried to ignore that Loki wasn’t really a cat – even in cat form, he saw _Loki_ , not just an animal. It was more that he was happy to see Loki enjoying himself so freely, soaking up in all the attention he got, looking like he was having the time of his life. Was Loki putting up a show only to find some amusement for himself in what otherwise would have been a boring evening to him, or was this playfulness something he was still holding back with Thor? It was hard to tell.

Either way, Loki visibly embraced his role of being Thor’s pet, and clearly intended to enjoy the chance to the fullest. Thor supposed he should just be happy that Loki had, so far, refrained from coughing up fur balls into anyone's shoes.

Thor himself didn’t play with Loki or pet him – he didn’t want to seem like he was taking advantage of the situation. Aside that one very cat-like head bump Loki had given Thor weeks ago, he hadn’t sought out or invited any kind of physical contact since the revelation of his true identity. If Loki liked his space, Thor would not be the one to impose closeness on him. It wasn’t like he had any right to it.

Or any exclusivity, he was forced to amend, catching from the corner of his eye Sif stroking the top of Loki’s head while Thor himself prepared the game board on the coffee table.

Well, it was Loki’s choice. It wasn’t like consent suddenly stopped mattering now that he was a cat again.

Eventually even Sif had to tear herself away from Loki when they finally started the game. It was one of those time-consuming fantasy games with role-playing elements, and even Thor, eyes flitting to Loki every once in a while, soon found himself deeply immersed in it. There was something to be said about forgetting about the real life for a bit and letting yourself be absorbed in a simpler world where warriors fought dragons and stood up to defy the evil.

Thor was so engrossed in their game that when he felt sudden sharp prickling in his thigh, he jerked with a yelp and jostled the coffee table with his knee. The little figurines representing his and Hogun’s characters, which were the two standing closest to the edge of the board, toppled over and down on the carpet.

Thor looked down just in time to see Loki coiling into a ball on his lap, little claws pinching his thighs through the sweats he was wearing.

“Oh,” he breathed, surprised and endeared at once.

“The demon strikes again,” Val uttered, rolling her eyes. She had never really warmed up to Loki, for whatever reason. “What a surprise.”

“He’s not a demon, stop calling him that,” Sif said. “He just probably felt left out, poor kitty.”

Thor placed a tentative palm on Loki’s side. Loki didn’t react, other than withdraw his claws from Thor’s skin. Thor took it as an encouragement and began stroking him gently, carefully along the back. His heart turned into instant mush when Loki’s toes curled and he began kneading Thor’s thighs lazily. Was he aware of doing that, Thor wondered, of was it simply the cat instincts kicking in?

“Earth to Thor?”

Thor snapped his head up. Val was staring at him, unimpressed and judging.

Fandral, who sat closest to the fallen pieces, picked them up and placed each on its right spot on the board. “He’s become quite clingy, hasn’t he? Was he always such a needy little thing?”

Loki lifted his head a little and sent Fandral a glare that heavily implied Thor’s relief for the lack of coughed-up fur balls to be premature.

Val rolled her eyes. “Probably. Now let’s play. Who has the dice?”

“Maybe he just didn't get enough love as a kitten, poor wretch,” Volstagg suggested good-humouredly, collecting the dice and shaking them in the cup of his enormous palms.

He had obviously meant it as a joke, but it struck Thor right through his chest. It was true, wasn't it? Loki had admitted as much – he had told that sorcerers lived and worked mostly isolated, hadn’t he? And when Thor added to that the maltreatment Loki had suffered at the hands of his abuser, and the fear of touch to his neck that he now carried with him, his mood turned suddenly stormy.

“Maybe,” he conceded vehemently, “But he'll get plenty while he's here.”

The game resumed after that, but, when Thor chanced a glance down, he was met with a pair of huge green eyes looking straight up at him. He gently scratched Loki behind his ear. “If you want,” he added quietly to Loki alone, before turning back to the game.

He was soon enough again absorbed in the story unfolding on the board, but not enough to halt his absently petting hand, or to not notice the gentle vibration of quiet purring.

 

 

 

That night Thor stirred awake for no apparent reason, and blinked blearily. He dragged his hand to rub at his eye, but it brushed against something on the way, something soft and warm. Something soft and warm and pressed against Thor's side. He squinted at it.

Loki. The fur ball he had come to miss cuddling at nights was now sleeping beside him again, like before.

Typical, Thor thought drowsily. Buy a cat a bed of its own, and it will choose to sleep in the cardboard box instead. Not that Thor complained.

Loki's tiny cat nose was tucked into his little paws, and Thor reached with one finger and petted him softly on the head. Loki stirred with a sleepy little _mwarp_ , and buried his nose deeper into the pillow of his paws. Thor withdrew his hand, feeling like he had been blessed, and drifted back to sleep.

He was alone in his bed when he woke up next morning, and further investigation revealed that Loki was sleeping soundly in his own bed in the living-room, black tresses spilled on the pillow, all curled up in the cocoon of his duvet as if that’s where he had stayed the entire night.

Thor didn't know what to think of it, so he didn't think at all, and went about his morning normally.

But the next night found cat-Loki in his bed again. And the next, and the next after that. In fact, it became something of a recurring occurrence. Thor always went to bed alone, but at a certain time during the night he would stray from sleep enough to find Loki puffing lightly beside him. It was impossible to not pet him like that, so Thor, inevitably, began taking the liberty of carefully stroking his kitty as he drifted back into sleep. Loki never showed any discomfort at that, and he sometimes even nestled closer to Thor. Whenever that happened, sleepy instinct would have Thor cuddling Loki close, just like before, back when he had still thought Loki an ordinary cat.

It should have been weird. It might have been, had Thor ever stopped to think about it in the light of the day. Maybe, had Loki kept coming to him at some other time than when Thor’s brain was pleasantly foggy and less capable of solid reasoning, Thor might have questioned his thought process some. But, as it was, he didn’t. It all seemed perfectly logical in the soft, sleepy darkness of the night. It all seemed right.

They didn’t really talk about it. It never came up, somehow.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last chapter I mentioned it was still February in the fic, which was a mistake at my end. I have changed it to early March. Turns out you can mix up your own timeline when you take a while to update.
> 
> Thor and his friends are just the type to play fantasy board games and no one can dissuade me. Also, most sources deem spider plants toxic to cats, so now I amuse myself by imagining Thor giving Loki a serious talk about not even accidentally eating its leaves.
> 
> [Salakavala on Dreamwidth.](https://salakavala.dreamwidth.org/)


	8. Conflict Resolution Skills of a Cat Owner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overdue conversation.

 

April was beginning to make room for May when Thor returned home from another meeting with Thanos. It was already getting late; the meeting had stretched almost two hours over the appointed time. Nothing Thor had suggested had pleased the man. Either the venue had too many windows, or it was too close to the city centre, or had too few goddamn plug points to suit his needs, on which he, by the way, refused to elaborate. The man certainly did nothing by halves – it was all take and no give with him. It was probably only a matter of time until he demanded half the universe only to turn his nose up at it. Thank goodness it was Friday; Thor could use a weekend or two.

So Thor was tired, and only really wanted to fall into his bed and sleep, or maybe just sprawl on the sofa and let Loki vent about the messy online system of some supposedly respectable library or other. They could have a mug of hot chocolate. With marshmallows.

Loki, however, was not at home. Well – not exactly; as soon as Thor switched on the light in the foyer, he heard a faint meow and saw Loki on the balcony, paws pressed against the window, eager to be let home.

Loki's outings had increased quickly in the recent weeks. It seemed to have less to do with the actual key, per se, although he did carry it with him in his collar, and more to do with him growing more comfortable at home. At first he had only gone out when Thor was at home, so Thor could let him back in through the balcony door, but later he had begun venturing out at some point during the day while Thor was at work, and returned at about the same time as Thor would be back. He had only used his key once; as he had to shift into human to do it, and to go to the front door no less, he avoided it like fire. The one time he had used the key he had shifted on the back yard, then altered his appearance with an illusion spell, and swiftly made his way to the door. Afterwards he had turned into a cat and crawled under the sofa. Later that evening Thor had learnt that, with the right equipment, it was possible to detect active magic nearby if one knew what he was looking for – which was how Loki had run into that 'unpleasant individual' in the first place, apparently – and the possibility terrified Loki.

His fear about being caught again was evidently strong enough that he preferred trembling outside in the cold rain of early spring until Thor got home to risking two minutes wearing an illusion.

Even with the trying day he had had, Thor couldn't help a chuckle. His poor kitty. He had probably expected Thor home at the normal time, and would no doubt be real salty about it too until Thor made him a hot, sweet drink at the very least. Loki was a bit of high maintenance like that.

He tossed his damp jacket on the chair in the foyer and headed directly to the balcony door. Loki hopped down from the little garden table beside the window and squeezed in right between Thor’s legs before he had even more than cracked the door open. His fur felt cold and damp even through Thor’s trousers, and Thor was instantly hit with a shameful image of himself with Loki wrapped up in a fluffy towel, purring on his lap. He shook his head to rid himself of such temptations; no matter what transpired during the night or when Thor’s friends were over, he and Loki didn’t really cuddle in the daytime. Cat form or not.

Still, he could make that steamy mug of hot chocolate for them both, and it was with that intention that he turned to Loki. “Hey –”

Loki was staring at him with wide eyes, his ears pressed flat back.

He growled.

Thor’s smile died on his lips. “Hey. Hey, what’s wrong?”

He made to kneel down and reach for Loki, but Loki hissed at him, and Thor froze, holding up his hands in surrender. “Loki, come on, what -”

Loki bolted.

Thor sighed. Where else but under the beloved sofa? With how much Loki seemed to like it there, Thor might have not bothered with mattresses or sofa beds at all.

“Not again,” he said loudly. He had already dealt with difficult assholes enough for one day – he really, really didn’t feel like making things more complicated than they need be at home, too. Sure, he could just leave Loki to counting dust bunnies and wait for him to emerge at his own time and pretend that nothing was amiss, but at the same time that felt like the worst course of action he could take. Nothing would ever change if he let Loki always get his way in this. Loki would stew in his problems forever and never share anything with Thor, and they would always go in circles like that, with unspoken issues layering up between them until they would hardly see each other through them all.

So, taking the hard road it was, then.

“Loki. Come out.”

Needless to say, there was no reaction. Not like Thor had expected one.

“Come on. I know you’re not an actual cat. I know you can understand me. Could we _for once_ use words instead of doing that? You know, like actual people?”

He waited. Nothing.

“I take that’s a no then. Sure. Why not. Why do anything about the problem when you can turn into a cat and hide from it, is that right?”

Loki would undoubtedly sit in his corner for the rest of the evening, and Thor had no desire to loiter around until he deigned to crawl out. He turned and went to wash his hands and change out of his suit, while taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to rid himself of his mounting annoyance. Maybe if he started with dinner, the smell would coax Loki out.

But what then? Again: Loki wouldn't speak of the issue unprompted, and by the time the food was on the table, Thor would probably be so tired and so fed up with the silent treatment that he would cave and let the matter just rest until a better time. A better time which would never come, if Loki had any say in it.

No, he decided. It was one thing to handle this kind of behaviour when he had thought Loki a mere cat. But Loki was human, and therefore perfectly capable of telling what was wrong. Because there _was_ something wrong, that much was clear. Something had scared Loki – the _human_ Loki, with human understanding – so badly that he actually refused to climb out from his frankly undignified hideout. But it made no sense – it had only been _Thor._ Why would Loki hiss at _him_? Thor recalled something like that happening once before, back in the autumn, too. Back then there had been no way for him to get answers, but now it was a different story. Yes, this time Thor would not step down, not until he’d get an actual explanation out of Loki.

Provided that Loki ever emerged from the undersofa.

Well, Thor thought, meeting his own newly determined gaze in the bathroom mirror. That could be rectified.

When he returned to the living-room, Loki was still, predictably, firmly rooted in his favourite hiding place. Thor stopped before the sofa and said, loudly, “Loki. Come out. We will talk this through.”

There – he had given Loki a chance.

When the stubborn thing pretended he wasn’t there, Thor continued, “Fine. Either you come out by yourself, or I’ll go get the hoover and make you.”

He waited patiently for a few seconds. One… two…

“Your choice,” he said with a shrug, and went to his cleaning closet.

He only had time to grab the door handle before he heard a petulant meow, and turned to the sight of Loki crawling out from his kingdom of dust and cat hair. He glared at Thor with all his might. Thor did feel a little bad for threatening him with the loud contraption, but it was also kind of adorable that it worked. Hoovering was Loki's most detested chore, though doing the dishes came up as a close second.

Thor smirked. “Thought so.”

He sat on his side of the sofa and patted a spot beside him.

After a while, Loki gave up trying to glare holes through him and hopped on the sofa, packing himself into the opposite corner and glaring at Thor balefully. He looked small and cute and miserable, but Thor refused to melt in front of that pitiful picture this time. He only lifted his brow: _I’m waiting._

Loki withstood his gaze for a few more moments, but then visibly deflated – a sight which Thor, despite his victory now, instantly knew he never wanted to see again. He shimmered green, and in the time it took Thor to blink, the cat had turned into the man Thor had grown accustomed to finding asleep in the living-room each morning.

Only now he looked defeated and afraid. The way he curled in Thor’s hoodie that he had now permanently claimed as his own was nearly heart-rending, and any lingering smugness Thor had felt evaporated. He was once again seized with a desire to wrap Loki up in something soft, and shield him from harm forever.

(Man, he really should start trying to keep an eye on these urges.)

“I hate you,” Loki practically hissed at him, but with that defensive curled-up look of his, he reminded Thor mostly of a yet toothless baby kitten.

“I think we should have this conversation,” Thor said firmly, swallowing his guilt about Loki's miserable appearance. “No roundabout answers this time, Loki.”

Loki drew his knees up and glared into his lap. “Fine,” he said at length.

“Thank you,” Thor said, conciliatory. “So. What got you so scared just now? And don’t say you weren’t, because you totally were, and are even now as we speak.”

Loki took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “To answer that I’ll have to backtrack a bit.” He brought his hands to his forehead and rubbed it rather forcefully, then let them drop into his lap, long fingers curling.

Thor had to be quite firm with himself so that he wouldn’t reach over and grab one of his hands. “Then do,” he coaxed softly.

“You are stubborn,” Loki grumbled.

Thor smiled. “No more than you.”

“Right. Well. Right.” Loki made a face. “You already know that I’m hiding from an unpleasant individual.”

“Mildly put for someone who tried to kill you, but yes.”

“Yes, well. I don’t suppose he was trying to kill me, per se. My death would have been just a byproduct of his actual goal. Which – and I’m warning you, this might get a little magicky – would have been stealing my magic.”

“That’s, uh, that’s possible?”

Loki shrugged. “If not, he’s trying to make it so. He’s not a sorcerer himself, which, I imagine, is why he keeps chasing us, trying to steal our power. Don’t even ask why, it’s not like he told me, aside of muttering about balancing the scale or whatever. The point is that he had some sort of magical artefact with which...” He swallowed, lifting his hand to his throat in an unconscious gesture.

“With which he tried absorbing my magic.”

Thor watched how Loki’s Adam's apple bobbed, his insides tying themselves into ice-cold knots. It was too easy to imagine a hard grip on Loki’s soft throat, bruises marring the pale skin. Dread coiled with anger in Thor's belly at the thought of someone’s – anyone’s – fingers touching Loki – touching anyone, for that matter, abusing people and stealing their life.

“It could be possible,” Loki muttered, almost to himself. He wound his arms around himself, tightly. “There were colourful stones on his gauntlet when he--” He swallowed, took a sharp breath. “When he str- when he tried to do it to me. They pulsated with-- I think they were--”

He shook his head vigorously.

“Anyway. He was interrupted. There was fighting. Two of his… daughters? I think? And some other people. He dropped me. There was an explosion, some chaos. I concealed myself from view and escaped.”

Thor’s heart was hurting. What he was hearing was absurd, something that didn't just happen in his world, but it had happened to Loki, and Loki had gone through it alone. He blinked rapidly to clear the blur from his eyes. “Loki...”

“I ran and eventually happened upon your backyard. You were kind to me and. The rest you know.”

Thor remembered the skittish cat Loki had been back then, and his entire body ached all over thinking what the little thing he had so carelessly treated had been through.

Loki chanced a glance at him, like he was trying to gauge Thor’s thoughts. “I didn’t mean to stay,” he said, carefully. “But I couldn’t go home. And you didn’t drive me away. I just. I didn’t really think about it. But I felt safe here, when you let me in. Like Thanos was in another world altogether.”

The name struck Thor in the face with an icy whip. Thanos? He knew _a_ Thanos. It certainly wasn’t a common name, not in their part of the world. But it couldn’t – surely it couldn’t be the same man? Because if it was, then Thor would have talked with him, would have _shaken hands with him,_ and that--

Suddenly he felt like he might vomit.

It must have shown on his face, because Loki regarded him calmly and said, “I thought so. You do know him then. I had wondered if it had been just a coincidence that first time.”

It was then that Thor remembered exactly what day it had been when Loki had run into hiding for the very first time. It had been another meeting with Thanos. Like today.

A shock wave of blind fury seized him. “He’s one of my clients,” he rasped, hands shaking with restrained energy, throat constricting. Thanos. _Thanos._ All this time...

“Thor?” Loki's eyes were wide and trained on him. He was clutching the fabric of his hoodie tightly in his fists. “Thor, are you all right?”

Thor clenched his fists, forced himself to draw a deep breath. _Calm down. Come on,_ _Thor,_ _calm down._

“Sorry,” he made himself say through gritted teeth. Unclenched his fists, shook his head. The buzz in his ears began subsiding. “Sorry. I just. Fuck. When I think-- fuck. _Fuck._ ”

“I know,” Loki murmured. “I could smell him on you, when I was a cat.” He looked at Thor, his beautiful eyes so, so wide, and a little misty. “I don’t like smelling him on you. It’s wrong. It’s wrong, because it’s not _you_ , but it’s on your skin, and it shouldn't be here because here is _safe,_ and-and-and it’s _wrong_ , and I hate it, and--”

His fists began trembling around his hoodie, and his growing distress cleared the remaining haze from Thor’s head. He acted by instinct alone – he shifted towards Loki and opened his arms. Loki, too, seemed to operate instinctively, because he flung himself into Thor’s waiting embrace, burying his face in Thor’s neck. Thor closed his arms around him and gently petted his hair, pressing his cheek to Loki's head. “It's me, Loki. Shh, baby. It's me...”

Loki took a deep, shuddering breath, and Thor kept stroking his hair, his back. There, with Loki trembling minutely in his embrace Thor vowed solemnly that he would rather eat his right arm than let Thanos lay one finger on Loki ever again.

They sat that way for some time, holding each other. Gradually Loki melted into Thor’s arms, and little by little tension began leaving Thor’s muscles as well. Loki breathed deeply in the crook of Thor’s neck, and it occurred to him that Loki might be taking comfort in Thor’s own scent. Like he was Loki’s. Like Loki was his.

_I’m in love_ , he thought, absently humming soft sounds to sooth Loki, the words small and quiet even inside his own head. It wasn't an earth-shattering realisation. It was simply a straightforward, unquestionable truth, as invisible as the air he was breathing, yet every bit as vital.

He pressed his lips against the side of Loki’s head. “I’ve got you,” he murmured, as his chest swelled with warmth that seemed to be there whenever Loki was near. That seemed to be there even when Loki wasn’t.

He felt one more puff of breath on his now-damp neck, before tension crept back into Loki’s muscles. Thor didn’t stop him when Loki carefully pushed himself out of Thor’s embrace and put a little gap between them – even though he wanted to, a little.

Loki’s cheeks flushed red and he avoided Thor’s gaze. “Sorry.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Thor said softly. He ached to brush his knuckles along Loki’s cheek down to his jaw. He almost did. Almost.

Instead he continued, “We should go to the police first thing tomorrow morning. He can't be let roaming free.”

Loki began shaking his head even before Thor had finished speaking. “No, Thor, I told you, the police knows nothing of sorcerers, and we have nothing on him –”

Thor could only blink incredulously. “Nothing? This guy tried to _kill_ you!”

“And how will you prove that?” Loki demanded, crossing his arms. “Go to the police and tell them this one mad individual almost strangled me with a big ugly glove? There’s no other proof than your word!”

“I don’t know, they could start investigating! Or that Shield agency or whatever. You told me they were specialised in magic just for this purpose.”

“No.”

Thor bit back a frustrated growl. “ _Why_ not?”

“Because I told you! If they find me, I’ll have the agency of a chipped pet rat! I’ll never take another step without them knowing of if!”

“So – what? You’ll wait for Thanos to catch you again? You’ll let him go after other sorcerers? Loki, that’s madness. It’s not even only about you any more, if there’s a madman on the run targeting potentially anyone! If you don’t want to go, I can go in your stead, just tell me how to find them, or I’ll just-- surely if we tip the police they’ll uncover _something_ -”

Loki’s eyes, so pale and so pretty, now widened with outrage and betrayal. “You-- you promised me! You promised to not to tell anyone about me! Don’t you see, people like Thanos happen when non-sorcerers find out about us! You promised, Thor. You can’t go to anyone without revealing my part in this, and you promised not to! You promised.”

The intensity of his outburst took Thor aback a little. He opened his mouth to say something, and closed it.

“No.” Loki shook his head. “No. I’m dealing with this myself.”

“Dealing with this how, exactly? Loki, we have to _do_ something.”

“I _am_ doing something!” Loki snapped. “I’m waiting for the dust to settle! I’m terribly sorry if my being a little reluctant to bid farewell to my freedom offends your sensibilities.”

Thor crossed his arms and leant against the backrest, eyes trained on Loki’s. “Really? Doesn’t look like freedom to me, staying within four walls and only sneaking out as a cat, glancing over your shoulder at every step in fear of being discovered.”

“How convenient then,” Loki hissed at him, “that it’s my life and has nothing to do with you.”

The words hit like a bucketful of cold water straight in the face. Thor stood up briskly. “Right. Of course. It’s your life, do what you like. What say do _I_ have in it? I’m just the guy with who you’ve been living for the past eight or so months.”

Loki’s face fell. “Thor...”

“No no, you’re right. You do you – it’s been going so well so far. I’ll be sure to stay out of your hair from now on.”

He turned on his heels and strode to the bathroom without sparing another glance at Loki. He knew that if he saw his crestfallen face, he would cave, and neither his pride, nor his conscience would thank him for that. Or, even worse, there wouldn’t be even a drop of remorse on Loki's face, and that… that Thor’s heart wouldn’t be able to handle.

“Fuck. Fuck!” He hurled his clothes on the floor one by one with as much force as he could muster, then kicked the pile for a good measure, before sighing and collecting them into the laundry basket.

Loki was being stupid and stubborn, and yes, selfish too, choosing to remain in danger like that – choosing to let the said danger run free rather than do something about it. Why did he insist on acting like it didn’t concern Thor at all? Like Thor didn’t really care?

Well. Maybe it simply was that _Loki_ didn’t really care.

“Fuck.” Thor stepped under the shower and rubbed at his face hard, pulling at the skin of his cheeks. The _second_ that cat had first swooshed into his apartment Thor had known that he’d be trouble. And look at him now. He was a little out of his depth here, and that was mildly put.

He picked up his sponge and scrubbed himself angrily. At least he’d get that crazy fucker’s stench off him. And to think that he had done business with him! Oh God, what if the venues he had prepared had somehow contributed to Thanos’ crimes? What if it had been one of Thor's own suggestions where Loki had suffered?

The sponge stilled on Thor’s skin. That’s right. He had rented venues for Thanos. They kept all the records for two years before erasing them – what if… what if that could be used to… to _something_? If Shield got those records, could they find evidence of the blood on Thanos’ hands? Could they trace it to him? Even if the police hadn’t got a clue of what was going on, surely at least Shield was aware of _someone_ snatching sorcerers one by one, if they did monitor them? What if Thor managed to convey all the information about Thanos’ next venue to them?

But Thor doubted that the contact information of a super secret organisation could be simply googled, so he would need to talk to Loki about that, and right now he really didn’t feel like talking to Loki.

Yeah, sure. He hadn’t had any ulterior motives or expectations when he had agreed to accommodate him, and he certainly didn’t think that Loki owed him anything, but, you know. He had kind of thought that living together – sharing the bed together, for fuck’s sake – spoke of at least some level of attachment. Not even necessarily romantic, just-- it wasn’t that Thor demanded any say in Loki’s life, but he had thought that he at least was _some_ part of it, a friend, a confidant, a… someone _._ That he was _someone_ to Loki.

Oh well.

He stepped out of the shower and dried off, his belly grumbling. That’s right, dinner had been pretty much forgotten, and Thor certainly didn’t feel like eating, let alone cooking now. He didn’t care that it wasn’t that late yet. He just wanted to curl in his bed and fucking sleep, and maybe shed a tear or two.

Loki was still sitting in the same position Thor had left him in, and, as Thor passed through the living-room, Loki raised his pretty eyes at him, all big and hopeful.

Thor only glanced in his general direction, the sting of Loki's words too fresh for anything more. “Going to bed. Good night.”

He didn’t have the courage to look Loki in the face before shutting his bedroom door behind himself.

And still, still he didn’t have the heart to close the door completely; just like every night before, he left it ajar. Out of habit, he told himself, but… yeah, who was he trying to kid here. He still stupidly wished that Loki would come to his bed, like every night before. He was pathetic.

Time ticked away, and Loki stayed in the living-room. What a not-surprise. Thor should just sleep and forget everything. He felt as drained as an old waterskin shared between an entire caravan in the middle of Sahara, it should be a matter of minutes until he dropped off. Well, no such luck. Instead he lay awake, thinking in circles and growing more and more aware by the minute of Loki’s absence by his side.

The digital numbers on Thor’s alarm clock kept changing until it really was late, and Thor’s eyes grew heavy and weary, but sleep did not come. It was its very own kind of hell, lying awake and slowly losing his sanity –

The only reason Thor caught the gap of the bedroom door growing wider was because he had been staring at it, contemplating whether to get up and either close it for good, or go to Loki and maybe try make peace if he was still awake. The door glided open silently, eerily, but no one entered, for what Thor could see. He held his breath, heart jumping to his throat.

Then a splotch of darkness moved, and Thor distinguished the fluffy form of his darling kitty, frozen mid-step on his way towards the bed, eyes wide black in the dark.

Thor couldn’t help a tiny smile. That was his Loki, only approaching when Thor was likely to be asleep already.

Loki didn’t move, didn’t even lower his paw on the carpet, as if if only he stood still long enough he could really fool Thor into thinking he wasn’t there. Thor patted the bed in invitation, lest they remained like that for the rest of the night. Which they undoubtedly would, were it up to Loki.

Loki hesitated only a moment before hopping on the bed, graceful as ever. But, instead of settling against Thor’s side as he usually did, Loki now crawled closer, up, and butted his head into Thor’s face, gently with a barely audible little mew.

“Aww.” In Thor’s defence, even a heart made of stone would have melted. Without thinking, he planted a kiss between Loki’s ears. “Never one to communicate with words, are you,” he murmured, scratching Loki behind his ear.

Loki headbutted him again, and then proceeded to curling in the crook of Thor’s neck, so that his fur went into Thor’s mouth.

Thor drew long strokes along his back, closing his eyes. “I hope you realise we’re not done talking about this,” he murmured against Loki's side.

Naturally, Loki pretended he hadn’t heard a word. Thor kept petting him until he fell asleep.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In fair warning, the next chapter will be very very short. Quality over quantity, one hopes!


	9. Cats and Affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Judging by the comments I’ve got throughout the story, this is the chapter many of you have been waiting for. :)

 

 

The next morning Thor felt something was different even before he became fully aware. Sleep drifted from him leisurely, almost playfully, leaving him with the white-grey light of a cloudy morning and a warm weight on the mattress beside his body.

No, not just beside. Wrapped around. Thor blinked several times to clear his bleary eyes.

Loki. Loki in his loose sleepwear, with his knee bent over Thor's legs and his arms curled into Thor's chest. His head was tucked beneath Thor's chin, hiding his face from Thor's unfocused gaze. His stray black locks, splayed on the pillow, tickled Thor's nose.

Thor threw his arm around him and fell back asleep.

When he next woke he was instantly more lucid and had the presence of mind to remember that waking up to cuddling Loki, let alone a human Loki, was _not_ something that ever happened, no matter how natural it felt. They were lying chest-to-chest, Thor still hugging him close, Loki's fingers idly playing with the collar of Thor's T-shirt.

Idly playing...

Thor looked down. Loki's eyes, so pale and beautiful in the grey morning light, were fully open and trained up on Thor's face. It wasn't a sight Thor had been prepared to greet first thing in the morning, yet all he could think of was how badly he wanted to kiss him.

He cleared his throat. “Hey.”

Loki tilted his face and kissed him.

It was a chaste kiss, innocent, even. Almost a peck. It was the warmth of Loki's lips brushing against Thor's, barely even pressing at all, but Thor's breath caught in his throat nonetheless. Loki's lips lingered; then, he looked down, and went back to worrying Thor's T-shirt.

Like a dam had been suddenly lifted, Thor's heart sped up like a rushing rapid. There was no way Loki couldn't feel it, packed so close to Thor as he was, fingertips coming to rest on his sternum.

“Loki,” Thor rasped, voice hoarse with sleep and shock, and possibly something else.

He felt the minute shift in Loki's body; the quick, shallow breaths, and a hint of tension creeping into his muscles.

Thor's head was reeling. He was stupidly, frustratingly out of words, his heart too full and his mind too empty. His arm was still thrown over Loki.

He desperately needed Loki to look at him, but Loki's eyes were firmly fixed on Thor's sternum. He brought a finger under Loki's chin and tipped his head up gently, so that he could finally meet those lovely eyes.

There were a million things Thor wanted to say – a million questions, but, in the end, it only came down to one.

“Do you want this?”

Loki kept his impenetrable gaze on Thor's when he answered,

“Yes.”

Thor's chest hurt with how much he wanted it to be true. He brushed his thumb along the line of Loki's jaw. “You don't have to-- Loki, you know you don't have to -”

Loki wiggled his own hand from between their bodies and laid his palm on Thor's bearded cheek. His gaze was steady and unwavering, and he kept it firmly on Thor when he repeated, “Yes.”

Thor kissed him.

The small sound that Loki made into his mouth fully made up for their unbrushed teeth. Thor pulled Loki closer, even as pressed together as they were, and Loki came willingly, hooking his leg over Thor's thighs. They kissed, and kissed again, and then they took turns in the bathroom and returned to bed for more kisses. It was slow and unhurried, but no less intense for it. It was a culmination of a growing need after a long wait. It was soft and tender, and demanding and deep.

They kissed and kissed and kissed, and afterwards, when their lips were red and puffy, they lay in bed wrapped around each other, lulled by the soft light and each other's heartbeats. Silence wrapped sweetly and peacefully around them, closing off the world outside. Thor cradled Loki's head to his chest; Loki's fingers began idly questing beneath Thor's sleep shirt. It was like time had ceased to exist, and everything was soft and lovely and _well_.

It wasn't, though. Not truly, despite what Thor might want to pretend.

He planted a little kiss on the top of Loki's head and already regretted breaking their sweet bubble so soon.

“We still need to talk,” he murmured softly, petting Loki's hair in the hope of keeping him placid.

Loki's fingers stilled on his chest.

“You know we do, Loki.”

The silence resumed, but this time it was tense and brittle, and though Thor kept stroking, Loki remained strung up underneath his touch.

“We have to solve this situation with Thanos,” Thor continued when it became evident that Loki was not going to. “I know you're scared, and for a reason. But you're in danger. Other people are in danger. I can't know of what you told me and do nothing. I...”

He took a deep breath. The words came naturally on his tongue, but he felt it was too soon to speak them, still. It wasn't the right moment. Not now.

He backtracked. “I just don't see any other way. If the police is out of the question, then Shield is our only choice, unless -”

Thor froze. _Unless we do it ourselves._

Well, not _we_ , of course. Thor. There was absolutely no chance in hell that Thor would allow that bastard Thanos anywhere near Loki ever again. But now that the idea struck him, Thor was almost surprised he hadn't thought of it earlier: he could go after Thanos himself.

It made perfect sense. Loki was worried for his privacy; this way no outside party would have to learn anything about him. They had no concrete evidence; Thor could acquire it. He had all Thanos' contact information. He knew where Thanos' newest venue was, and he knew the venue itself literally inside out. Hell, he even knew exactly how many stupid power plugs there were and where each one was located, because he had fucking counted them himself.

He could sneak in, hide cameras or something. Or hide himself. He could even catch Thanos red-handed, and then even the police, even without the knowledge about sorcerers, would have the grounds to get involved.

“Unless what?” Loki asked, alarm creeping into his voice. Belatedly Thor realised he had stopped petting him.

He resumed it immediately, hoping to reassure Loki. “Nothing.”

He wasn't an idiot. Considering how Loki had taken his every other suggestion, he very much doubted this would be the one to get his approval.

But Loki wasn't so easily placated. He pushed himself up and grabbed Thor's sleep shirt harshly, and shook Thor with a startling force for someone so lithe. “Unless _what_ , Thor? Tell me!”

He looked a wild thing like that, truly a forest witch indeed, black tresses a crow's nest on his head and pale eyes wide and very nearly ferocious. It took Thor a few moments to snap his dropped jaw shut and to collect his bearings, during which time Loki shook him again. Thor had never seen him so angry before. Furious like a wild cat, all out of the blue.

Thor's mute shock seemed to only anger Loki further. “Don't play dumb with me, Thor,” he hissed, even though Thor really wasn't _._ “I can see you're planning something stupid. You are. And I'm telling you right now: drop it.”

Thor finally found his tongue. “Nothing,” he lied, “I'm planning nothing. I just got distracted.”

Loki dropped his shirt and leant away from him. “You're lying to me.”

Ah, crap. How had such a pleasant morning become such a mess in so little time? And Thor couldn't even contradict Loki's accusation, because it was true.

“Loki...”

Loki shook his head. “You're lying to me. You're going to do something stupid. Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I don't see it? You are going to do something stupid and get yourself killed.”

Thor winced. Busted within five seconds from telling the lie. He never had been good at it, had he? _Never lie, darling_ , his mother had always said. _You don't have the face for it._

“I'm not going to get myself killed,” he protested, sitting up too, slightly miffed by Loki's evident lack of faith in him.

Loki's stare at him was wholly unconvinced. “He's a murderer and a maniac and he would kill you in an instant. Don't you understand? He's ruthless. If you intervene, he will kill you as well. He won't even hesitate.”

Something ugly and sudden stirred within Thor then. Loki's words from the night before flashed through his mind, and his mouth was working before he could think it through.

“Well it's a good thing you think our lives have nothing to do with each other, then.”

He did regret his words as soon as his mind registered his saying them, but of course it was too late by then. Loki physically recoiled from him, like Thor had struck him.

“You are cruel,” Loki said. He didn't hiss, or yell. He just said it, voice flat and toneless.

Thor's heart twisted. He reached for Loki's face, slowly, and when Loki didn't react, he brushed his knuckles along the soft cheek, down to his jaw. “I'm sorry,” he said, withdrawing his hand. “You're right. I spoke crudely. I'm sorry.”

He inhaled deeply, bracing himself. Since lies weren't for him, what he had left was truth. He couldn't lie to Loki, so he would be truthful with him. He felt he had no right to speak such words after the hurtful quip he had just hurled at Loki, but his heart was aching with them. At least then Loki would know. He could do with them whatever he wanted.

He swallowed and made himself look at Loki. “I care about you, Loki. I can't let anything bad happen to you, and I don't want you to live in fear. And I know you think it's none of my business, but. It could. It could be. If you allowed it to.”

Loki sat completely, unnaturally still within an arm's length from him. Thor released the air from his lungs and closed his eyes. He still felt the sting of Loki's words from the night before, and Loki's silence now hurt too. He felt like he was lost at sea, knowing where he wanted to go but unable to navigate his way there, with no stars above to read, or land in sight to aim for. Only one thought kept him anchored: he needed Loki safe. No matter what Loki felt, or did not feel for him. It didn't even matter. He just. Needed Loki safe, and that was that.

Loki's eyes turned wet and glossy and slightly red, and Thor's heart fell. He reached to wipe the first escaped tear away.

“Loki...” Slowly Thor shifted closer and wrapped one arm around Loki, then, when Loki only sniffled and leant in ever so slightly, he closed the other around him, too. He pulled Loki gently into himself, stroking his back soothingly when Loki turned his face into his neck.

“I'm sorry.” Loki's voice was small, barely audible to begin with, and then also muffled against Thor's shirt. His body shuddered with a suppressed sob, and he dug his face into the crook of Thor's neck, smearing his tears all over his skin. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean-- I'm sorry.”

Thor's heart clenched. “Loki, oh. Shh. It's all right. I'm sorry too.”

He hugged Loki close, a little bit at loss, a little bit teary-eyed himself. Loki clenched his shirt in his fists, trying to draw deep breaths. Eventually Thor tucked them both in, wrapping the blanket around them and keeping his arms around Loki the whole time. Loki snuggled close to him even after he stopped sniffling, and then lay quietly, drawing idle patterns on Thor's chest with his finger.

Loki’s touch travelled to Thor’s arms, to his neck, and turned into curious strokes on his beard, like it was the most fascinating thing Loki had ever touched. It was pleasantly lulling, and Thor felt like the lump that had been pressing on his diaphragm began unravelling. He knew that the whole initial issue remained unresolved, but things had shifted between him and Loki. They would find their way around this stumbling block. They would. One way or another.

Eventually morning began rolling into noon, and Thor decided it was time to begin thinking about getting up and gathering a plateful of something filling and tasty to share with Loki. Thanos could wait that much, at least.

He was just about to relay his plan to Loki, when Loki’s lazily petting hand on Thor’s cheek stilled.

“Okay,” he said, looking at Thor.

Thor briefly wondered if he had accidentally voiced his thoughts without even noticing it. “Hmm?”

“Okay,” Loki repeated, and though he swallowed somewhat heavily, his eyes were steady. “We'll talk to SHIELD. About Thanos.”

Thor's insides jolted, and suddenly he was fully alert. “Loki?”

“But I want you to come with me.”

“Yes. Yes, of course. Loki -”

“Hush.” Loki pressed a finger to Thor’s lips. “Let's not speak of it now.”

Thor didn't resist when Loki retracted his finger and kissed him in earnest.

 

 

 


	10. Love Your Kitty Right

  

Loki wasn't chipped, in the end. In fact, as SHIELD's agent Coulson very slowly and painstakingly explained to them, none of the sorcerers were. Not unless they asked for it themselves or acted with harmful intentions, both of which were situations always thoroughly researched – unlike the ‘unfortunate wildly circulating baseless rumours’ in sorcerer communities persistently suggested. Coulson delivered this information with the strained sort of patience that gave Thor the impression it wasn't the first time the man had to contradict that particular accusation.

Loki, naturally, didn't believe him. He kept Thor tightly to his side, as if Thor's presence was enough to protect him from the dreaded procedure, should the order be given. Personally, Thor doubted that he alone would be able to stop the security guards if they all attacked at once, but, he figured, Loki had his magic and would possibly manage to get away if Thor proved enough of a hindrance.

Not that Thor believed it would actually escalate to a fistfight. He didn't for one moment doubt that Coulson, or rather, SHIELD, had their own secrets – as any organisation of that calibre would – but it did seem that they really did consider keeping magic a secret as their first priority. Which, as Coulson explained to them, included the safety of sorcerers – and excluded their chipping.

Instead of a chip, Loki was offered a pocket-size alarm device that would send a signal to SHIELD should trouble occur. Loki, firmly and not entirely politely, declined. Coulson raised his brows at him, but didn't persist. Instead he moved on to the actual purpose of their appointment.

He didn't seem at all surprised at the mention of Thanos. He questioned Loki thoroughly, and then heard Thor, and at the end of it he considered them silently for a few long minutes. Finally he put his elbows on his desk and leant forward, and told them that it was not the first time SHIELD had heard Thanos' name.

Turned out that the two sisters, to whose uprising in Thanos' ranks Loki owed his escape from the Mad Titan's clutches, had attempted ending Thanos with their own hands. Failing that, but managing to flee, they had eventually turned to SHIELD. Since then, SHIELD had been working on Thanos' case for over three months now, slowly rooting out his accomplices one by one, trying to get to the man himself.

“We are getting there,” Coulson told them confidently. “Our special troops are on the case, and they're driving that bastard into a corner. It will take some time, but he won't have another choice but to fall into our trap. Believe me, Thanos is as good as done.”

And just like that, the meeting was over. Coulson instructed them to keep their heads down until SHIELD would contact them again, and then he sent them on their way.

When they had been escorted to Coulson's office through endless corridors and rattling lifts and underground labs, Thor's head had been reeling with the bizarreness of actually being invited to the headquarters of an actual secret organisation. Now that they were being led back out into the sun he felt strangely indifferent. A little underwhelmed, even. He couldn't say what he had been expecting, but after all Loki's agitation and his own restlessness, being told to sit on his thumbs and do nothing sat uneasily within him. Although, to be fair, going to SHIELD _had_ been 'doing something', and especially of Loki he couldn't, and wouldn't, ask anything more. But now that it was done he was beginning to realise that maybe he had sort of a little bit hoped that he would have been allowed to go to Thanos and rip his head off with his bare hands. _That's your vindictiveness speaking,_ he told himself as the lift doors slid open on the ground floor of the building. _Main thing is that Thanos gets what's coming to him. Doesn't matter by who._

They stepped out on the street from an entirely ordinary-looking office building at the edges of the business centre of the city. Their guide – she had introduced herself, but her name had slipped past Thor's ears – shook hands with each of them with a sincere enough smile before disappearing back inside. They were seemingly left alone, though she had told them that a disguised agent would see that they got home safely.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was still up. Thor lifted his face to it, enjoying its warmth and feeling instantly lighter inside. Thanos was being dealt with. He was being dealt with, and soon Loki would be safe, and he and Thor would be able to go out and enjoy the buzz of spring openly, together, without illusions.

He turned to Loki, who stood quiet and tense beside him. His face was unfamiliar with the illusion he was wearing, blue eyes darting from one shadow to another, ginger curls helpless with the whims of the wind. _Cute_ , Thor thought, _but not my Loki at all._

Neither of them spoke as they walked through the street. The last remnants of winter had nearly disappeared, and only in the darkest corners did little heaps of snow yet fight for their existence. The asphalt was still shiny from the morning's rain, and every now and then Thor and Loki had to sidestep puddles if they wanted to keep their socks dry. All around them people were hurrying about their business or leisurely strolling wherever, enjoying the spring. Cafeterias along the street had deemed it finally warm enough to set a few tables outside, and several pubs had already opened their beer garden season. A few brave souls were even having a picnic in the park. The city was waking up from its deep winter slumber.

It was bizarre: a war was being waged under the eyes of these very people, but none of them had a clue. And in the fresh air of the spring the entire morning spent in the artificial lighting of SHIELD's premises began to feel distant even to Thor. What felt far more tangible was Loki. Loki, who walked with hunched shoulders and kept skittishly glancing around for any possible threats. Thor, in turn, kept glancing at Loki, and wanting. He wanted for the threat of Thanos to be yesterday already, so that Thor could take Loki out to a picnic in the park, or to the best gelateria in town. He wanted for Loki to walk beside Thor as himself, and he wanted to hold Loki's hand and simply enjoy the closeness.

Well. He could, that last thing. If Loki didn't mind. He could do that one thing now.

He took Loki's hand into his own and squeezed gently.

As if on cue the last remaining clouds dispersed, letting loose the previously hidden rays of sun that shot through Thor and spread giddiness from his toes to his fingertips; for Loki squeezed back.

 

 

 

“So.” Thor set down two glasses with apple juice on the table between himself and Loki and plopped on his chair. “That was that.”

Loki took his glass and sloshed the juice inside, watching it swirl. “Mmh.”

The giddiness from their walk back home had subsided almost as soon as they had set foot inside. Well, Thor's giddiness had subsided; Loki had been tense all along.

Thor had no idea what had prompted this change of mood. Maybe it was being back within four walls, out of the sun, with the instructions to keep out off the streets for a bit. Maybe it was more depressing after having had a glimpse of what he could have with Loki. Maybe it was just Loki’s listlessness.

“No chipping then, huh?” Thor said, attempting to lighten the mood some.

Loki shot him a baleful glare. Thor raised his hands in surrender.

“It wasn't a quip at you. I'm genuinely happy it didn't go there.”

Loki returned to frowning at his juice.

Thor took a fortifying breath. “What now?”

Loki shrugged. “Now we lie low. You heard the man.”

It wasn't exactly what Thor had meant, but he supposed it was his own fault for not specifying. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure what he himself had even wanted to ask, precisely.

“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, of course. We lie low.”

It was both easier and harder than expected. Easier, because lying low meant living exactly as they had until then, and _that_ had at some point become as natural as breathing, now with the added bonus of Loki's migration into Thor's bed in his human form during the nights. Also it had quickly become apparent that Loki could be really cuddly during the daytime, too, and enjoyed petting regardless his shape. Slipping back into that was hardly a hardship.

Yet, at the same time Thor couldn't shake the growing sense of unease creeping at his heels. It wasn't really Thanos; Thor had faith in SHIELD's professionals. Rather, it was the awareness of impending change. Because things would change after the streets were safe for Loki again, wouldn't they? So far Loki was living with Thor technically out of necessity, but once the threat was eliminated, it was something they would have to confront. And if there was a chance of Loki wanting to, well, to be with Thor, there also was a possibility that once all was over Loki would dance out of the door with nothing but a 'so long, and thanks for all the cuddles', and never be seen again.

It was probably still too early to start navigating towards that conversation, however. Thor didn't want to pressure Loki; Loki was already sitting on pins and needles with the ordeal about Thanos. And maybe Thor, too, would feel more comfortable discussing what exactly they were to each other when at least the unavoidable flatmate aspect was removed from the game.

Fandral's invitation for a little gathering came at the best possible time to distract Thor and Loki both from their restlessness. An evening with friends was just what was needed. Initially Thor had wanted to ask Fandral to change the hangout for Thor's place, because he couldn't leave Loki alone on a time like this. Instead, against his better judgement, he ended up letting Loki convince him to convince Fandral to let Thor bring Loki along. And Fandral was either remarkably short-sighted or then not immune to Loki's adorableness, because he agreed, and so Thor ended up walking the streets with a smug Loki in a cat carrier.

It went just about like both Thor and Fandral should have expected. Loki was entirely himself for the entire evening, which meant constantly giving Fandral near heart attacks while exploring his expensive apartment. Still, he mostly behaved himself, at least on Loki-scale.

That was until Val arrived, with a new friend in tow.

“This is Amora,” she said as everyone stood to greet them. “She's new in town and I thought I'd introduce her to some people. Help her out a little.”

It was quite clear who Val meant by 'some people’, if her unsubtle meaningful stare was anything to go by. Amora took her cue from Val, and ran her eyes up and down Thor's body, just on the wrong side of appreciative. She offered her hand.

“Hello, Thor,” she drawled, even though Thor hadn't even introduced himself yet. “It's _so_ nice to meet you.”

“Welcome to the town,” he replied, shooting a dirty glare at Val. She only shrugged in response.

It quickly became apparent that Loki held no love for Amora. In fact, he was outright hostile: he scratched her hand when she tried to pet him, and when Sif urged her to let Loki sniff at her fingers first, Loki blatantly ignored Amora's outstretched hand. Thor, frankly, found it amusing. He grinned when Loki planted himself firmly on his lap and seemed determined to stay there for as long as Amora insisted on being glued to Thor’s side. When Amora laughed at something Thor said and touched his shoulder, Loki _mwarped_ innocently and stretched luxuriously, so that his tiny claws caught Amora's tights. A long streak instantly ran from her thigh to her calf.

Amora hissed, and Thor, untangling Loki's claws from the fabric, forced himself to offer apologies for courtesy’s sake – even if they were blatantly insincere.

It wasn't very long until Amora took her leave.

Val dragged Thor aside once she was gone. “Why did you have to be like that? You barely paid attention to her!”

“Why did you even bring her?” Thor countered and crossed his arms. “I never asked to be set up with anyone. You know that doesn't work for me.”

“Thor, it's been weeks since you've met actual people, aside us and your customers. It's been months since Trevor. I'm thinking of your best here.”

“Well, you don't have to. I'm not interested. In fact,” Thor added in a fit of defiance, “I consider myself taken.”

Her brows climbed up on her forehead. “Taken? Since when?”

Thor shrugged, wondering if he had made a mistake in telling her. Well, Val, if anyone, was as far from the gossiping kind as was possible. She wouldn’t go intentionally spreading around Thor’s secrets, not even to the rest of their friends.

“Then why did you bring your monster along and not your partner?” Val demanded.

Her continuous hostility towards Loki piqued Thor, and the thing with Amora had already soured his mood. “Because I couldn't leave him alone,” he said somewhat edgily, though he wasn't about to elaborate on why that was so. A little cheekily, he added, “Besides, Loki and I are a package deal. You just have to accept that he's a part of my life now.”

Val fixed him with a long, hard look, long enough to make Thor's palms begin sweating a little under the scrutiny. Then she took a determined breath and, a little reluctantly, landed her hand on Thor's arm. When she spoke, it was with evident effort.

“Okay. I'll say this once. Ugh. So. Thor. I'm your friend. If there's something… _anything_. You know you can--”

She cut herself off and seemed to think it over. “Actually, never mind. Scratch that. I take it back. If there _is_ something, I don't want to know it.”

Then she turned and went to join the others in the living-room.

With nothing else to do, Thor followed her. Loki instantly reclaimed his spot on his lap and purred smugly, like he had achieved a great victory.

“Such a jealous beast,” Sif said fondly. “It's like he knows. First with Trevor, remember? Now Amora. Be careful, Thor, or you'll find you’re that crazy cat guy who only lives for his kitties in a secluded castle.”

“Might be too late already,” Val muttered and drank her beer straight from the bottle.

It was Thor's turn to be smug. “He _is_ quite jealous, isn't he?” He pinched Loki's ear. “Aren’t you? You hid in the washing machine for the whole day after Trevor. And now you protected me against that witch.”

Suddenly, it really clicked: Trevor, the washing machine, and Loki. Loki had been jealous. It hadn't been about the cat instincts. Loki had been jealous _already_ _then_.

He grabbed Loki by his armpits and lifted him to his face. Loki squawked and wriggled to get free, tail swishing from side to side, but Thor just laughed and nuzzled him. “Why, Loki, you’re such a possessive one, aren't you?”

Naturally, it ended with three smarting welts on his left cheek and Loki padding indignantly to Hogun for more dignified treatment, but it was worth it.

Volstagg laughed, pointing at Thor with his beer. “Have you ever seen a happier man? Look at him. It's like he's in love with the kitty.”

Val wordlessly fetched herself another bottle.

 

 

 

Loki didn't shift back into human when they got home, and when it was time for bed, Loki remained a cat and demonstratively curled with his back to Thor. However, when Thor woke on the next morning, Loki slept soundly beside him as his human self, curled on his side with his nose pressed to the space between Thor's shoulder blades.

Thor carefully slipped from under the covers and went to the bathroom, but afterwards, instead of putting the kettle on, returned to bed. It was a cloudy Sunday, so Thor felt no compulsion to get up and start with the day quite yet.

He had never really done that before, lounge between the sheets on lazy mornings. He had never really seen the appeal. But since Loki had become what seemed like a permanent occupant in his bed, Thor had discovered the pleasures of idling under the blanket, tracing patterns into Loki's skin, and, if Loki was awake, kissing him deep and slow, or shower him with little pecks until they were both breathless and laughing. And that's precisely what Thor planned to do now. He was ridiculously smitten and fully acting like it, he realised that, but he couldn't help it, not with Loki.

Loki woke slowly when the first raindrops hit the window, all owlish blinks and cute huffs. He unceremoniously shoved Thor's face away from his cheek and clambered out of the bed to head for the bathroom. However, Loki, unlike Thor, had always been prone to lazing about and enjoying long mornings, so all Thor had to do was to patiently wait until Loki returned to bed and into his embrace. Sure enough, only a few minutes later Loki was already snuggling against him and sighing in such a contended manner that it gave Thor tingles.

He waited until Loki had settled comfortably and closed his eyes, and then, lips spreading into a grin, he drawled, “So, jealous, huh?”

Loki's eyes snapped open.

“You didn't think I wouldn't remember, did you?” Thor asked, not bothering to hide his self-satisfied smile.

Loki narrowed his eyes into slits, shuffling slightly away from Thor to better glare at him. “Oh? I seem to remember something too. What was it that Volstagg said again..? ' _In love_ '?”

Thor laughed softly, strangely light-headed. “Did he now?”

“Mmm.” Loki lifted his hand to trace the faint red lines that he had put on Thor's cheek himself. Thor dropped his head on the pillow, eyes drooping, and let Loki feel him. It was calming, gentle. No wonder Loki liked being petted so much, if it felt like this. Were Thor a cat, this was were he'd start purring.

“Thor?” Loki said suddenly.

“Hmm?”

Silence was his answer; he cracked his eyes open. Loki was resting on his elbow, staring at Thor, thumb still on the pink welts.

“Yes?”

Loki pulled his hand back. “What happens once this is over?”

Ah. _Now_ Loki chose to ask. The words kicked Thor from the pleasant drowsiness into full alertness in mere seconds. He swallowed thickly to win a few pathetic moments to gather his words.

Well. No way but forward.

“Once this is over… it's up to you.”

A light frown creased Loki's forehead. It clearly wasn't an answer he had wanted to hear. Thor willed his fluttering heart back into his chest, so that it wouldn't block the words in his throat.

“You have my key. I have no intention of asking it back. Whether you want to keep it or leave it is your decision. I just want you to know that… That this can be your home as much as it’s mine, if you so wish.”

“And you?” Loki asked. He looked and sounded perfectly neutral. “What do you wish? Or is it all the same to you?”

This was it. The moment of confrontation Thor had both awaited and dreaded. He mirrored Loki's earlier gesture and reached to stroke his cheek. His own frantic heartbeat stuttered against Loki’s skin through his fingertips – there was no way Loki didn’t feel it too. He swallowed again, to get the words out.

“I would that you keep it. If you're amenable.”

Loki's frown melted into a small, but genuine smile. “You never use the word amenable.”

Thor laughed a little self-consciously. “Yeah, well. You do. I'm just trying to get onto your level here.”

“Mm, I see.”

“Yeah?” Thor said softly, thumb tracing the corner of Loki's lips. He wanted to kiss him, badly.

“Well then,” Loki breathed, leaning towards Thor with a spark in his eyes, “I'm amenable if you are.”

Air caught in Thor's throat. All he could do was gaze at Loki, so beautiful in the pale morning light. The most beautiful sight Thor had ever been blessed with in his entire life so far.

“Come here,” he said, even though Loki's nose already was but an inch from his, raven locks falling around their faces in a tangled veil.

“I'm here,” Loki replied, quirking his brow expectantly, and suddenly the bubbling giddiness underneath Thor's sternum burst free. It was true, wasn't it? Loki was here, and he had just told Thor that he wanted to continue being there with him. And as if that wasn't already amazing enough in itself, Loki was also well within Thor's kissing range, and so Thor laughed and cradled Loki's face in his palms and began covering it with kisses until they were both breathless and Loki was pushing Thor's face away with both hands.

Loki plopped on the pillow beside Thor, and it was Thor's turn to rest on his elbow and look his fill.

“I love you,” he blurted, the words falling from his lips without much consideration. He hadn’t meant to say them, not yet, but as soon as they were out he felt it was right. After all, he had given his home key to Loki; Loki had the right to know what he was getting into.

Loki regarded him wordlessly, and reached to brush his fingers over the scratch marks on Thor's face. “Kiss me,” he said.

Thor obliged. He kissed Loki's lips, taking care to be thorough, and then landed a peck on the tip of his nose. He kissed each of Loki's eyelids and each brow, and when he ducked to brush his lips from Loki's temple to his ear, Loki released a slightly shuddering breath.

“That's nice,” he murmured, when Thor buried his nose in Loki's hair behind his ear. Thor hummed in response, wholly agreeing. Loki stretched his arms above his head and arched his back with a sound that came as close to purring as his human form could possibly produce, and then sent a pleased look to Thor, clearly ready to be worshipped.

And worship Thor did. His kisses turned slow, lingering, varying between little licks and barely-there brushes of lips against a sharp cheekbone. Loki made a surprised sound when Thor took the tip of his ear between his lips and gave an experimental nip, before suckling at it lightly. Loki's entire frame shivered at the gentle treatment, and the contented sigh that fell from his lips travelled through Thor's own body like a warm caress, settling into a heated coil in the pit of his belly.

“Loki,” Thor breathed, brushing a stray strand of hair from Loki's face.

Loki opened his eyes. His chest was restless with quickened breaths, and the moment his pale gaze focused on Thor's, Thor felt a jolt of electricity between them.

This was as far as they had ever gone with Loki. It hadn't really been a conscious decision on Thor's end; he had simply rolled with his gut feeling. Loki hadn't initiated anything further either. Heck, even kissing itself was yet so novel that Thor hadn't really thought beyond that, ecstatic that he had Loki at all.

But now, pinned by those pale hazy eyes, dark locks spread all over the grey pillowcase, Thor felt a clear tug of want in his body. He leant down to take Loki's lips again, and when he withdrew, Loki took his hand and, eyes intent on Thor's, guided it slowly down, under the hem of his sleep shirt.

“Here,” he said a little breathlessly, “Kiss me here.”

Breath stuck in Thor's throat. “Yeah?” he asked, even as he began rolling up Loki's shirt and pulling it off altogether when Loki lifted his arms in a clear hint.

Loki's lips pulled into an endearing grin. “If you're amenable.”

Thor couldn't help kissing him again then, even though it was a little messy with them both snickering into it, with Loki's shirt still partly stuck on his arms. But then Loki finally managed to fully wiggle out of it, and Thor had to halt to properly behold and appreciate the sight so generously gifted to him.

And a gorgeous sight it was. Thor lowered his palm upon Loki's lean belly almost reverently, felt how the muscle jumped under his touch. “Oh, Loki...”

Loki didn't say anything, only relaxed on the pillow and closed his eyes with a long exhale. He looked absolutely delectable like that, open in a show of trust that spoke to something primal within Thor. No longer able to restrain himself he dove to nose at Loki's belly, to trace the lines of the defined but not prominent muscles above his navel. He briefly worried that his beard might be too coarse for Loki’s still sleep-warm skin, but the sharp intake of breath he both heard _and_ felt reassured him; it wasn't a sound that said stop.

Encouraged, he kissed the little mound of Loki's belly, delighted to find a trail of soft, dark hair leading down towards the line of Loki's boxers. Loki's skin was vibrating under his touch, and he wondered fleetingly when Loki had last been held by another. Not that it mattered, in anything else than fuelling Thor's already not insignificant determination to make his kitten feel good. He followed the neat path of hair with his lips until it disappeared beneath the boxers. Loki gasped when he reached the waistband, then released a shuddering breath when Thor licked his way back up all the way to the belly button.

He moved up to land a peck on his cheek. “All good?”

Loki tilted his face with an affirmative _mmm_ and parted his lips, seeking Thor's. Thor gave into Loki, letting him drink his fill from him as Thor slid his hand to the soft, vulnerable skin of Loki's inner forearm. He caressed the pulse point on Loki's wrist until Loki's languid lips stilled against his own. With a final peck Thor returned his attention to the exposed chest.

He trailed down the path of Loki's ribs on the right side, then climbed up on the left, kissing each rib along the way until he found a pebbled nipple and took it into his mouth. Loki uttered a choked gasp at this, and then there was a hand curling in Thor's hair, not pulling, really, but firmly rooting itself. He couldn't help groaning, and, emboldened, gently bit down on the wet little nub in his mouth. Loki's resulting whine and the tug at Thor's hair shot straight to Thor's half-hard cock, his previously disregarded need finally raising its head and demanding acknowledgement.

But now that he had been allowed a taste, Thor was eager and greedy for more. He moved to suck on the right nipple for equality's sake, but soon returned back to the left one, drawn by the erratic _thu-dum, thu-dum, thu-dum_ of Loki's heart against his lips.

Loki was reacting so beautifully to Thor's ministrations, arching his back, sighing and whimpering breathlessly, tugging at Thor's hair with one hand and tweaking his right nipple with the other. As soon as Thor noticed what he was doing, he quickly joined his hand to Loki's, his core heating at the thought of them both bringing Loki pleasure together.

Loki let out a long, intriguing moan when Thor used his teeth particularly appreciatively on his probably oversensitive nipple, and then Loki's hand was grasping at his shirt, pulling the hem up and reaching lower, splaying his fingers on bare skin. Thor followed when Loki urged him up by hair, thinking he wanted another kiss, but before his lips met Loki's, Loki's hand slid over his arse to grab a feel. Thor gave a startled laugh, and Loki grinned, giving a playful lick on the tip of Thor’s nose.

“Kiss me,” he demanded again, as if Thor wasn’t fully committed to precisely that. Not that he complained. Loki's beautiful shoulders and the elegantly sculpted collarbones had not yet received their share of adoration, which was an injustice Thor had to rectify immediately.

A palm on his cheek stopped him, and, baffled, he looked up.

“No,” Loki said, his heart fluttering beneath Thor's fingertips. “Kiss me higher.”

Thor halted and propped himself on his elbows to have a proper look at Loki's face. “Higher?”

Not only Loki's heart was picking up an erratic pace now – his breaths were too. His hand was trembling slightly on Thor's face, but his eyes, though wide with nerves, were steady. “I want you to kiss me higher,” he repeated, and there was no doubt in Thor's mind of what Loki meant.

“Loki,” he rasped, throat suddenly dry and hoarse under the enormity of what was being offered to him. “Are you sure?”

Loki nodded. He looked determined and a little bit helpless. He cradled Thor's face in his palms and pulled him close, until their lips were brushing against one another, and whispered, “Please.”

Everything in Thor stopped abruptly, everything except his heart, which was thundering in his ears like a drum. It all broke loose and rushed into his head, making his vision spin.

Loki was offering his throat to Thor. Loki was offering his fear, his vulnerability, his trust. Most of all his trust.

“Loki,” Thor whispered, helpless. “Baby.”

Loki pecked him lightly, but Thor was not yet ready to let those well-loved lips go, not before he had poured his own heart into them. Loki accepted his kiss with intensity that spoke of mutual understanding, and, at last, Thor sighed and nuzzled into the side of Loki's head. His mind was reeling a little from what Loki was willing to give him, and an urge to both take and to give what was asked of him took him over.

He licked the sensitive skin behind Loki's ear and relished the little sound that it earned him. He moved lower from there, lips brushing along Loki's skin, until he reached the edge of the jawbone. He planted a little peck there, too, and then followed along the line of Loki's chin with little kisses until he reached the opposite ear.

Loki's belly was trembling beneath his fingertips, and Thor stroked it soothingly. Kissed beneath the ear. Then a little lower. A little lower again, barely touching the skin at all. Loki stiffened and held his breath, and Thor hummed softly as he brushed his lips along the side of Loki's neck down to his collarbone. Air left Loki's lungs in a rush then, and Thor moved up to kiss his temple, his cheek, the corner of his mouth. There he paused to search Loki’s face.

“Okay?”

Loki nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yes. Again. Please.”

Thor kissed him encouragingly and trailed another careful line of barely-there kisses from his ear to his collarbone.

Loki's neck was a long, beautiful thing – a graceful work of art, finer than any a sculptor's creation Thor had ever seen. It was soft, pale, and tender. Vulnerable, and again Thor was momentarily taken over by rage at anyone daring to mar that beauty, touch something so private and sacred. But he forced the anger away. It had no place in his and Loki's bed, and no aggressor had room in his thoughts when Loki had placed his full trust into Thor's care. In this moment only Loki, and Loki alone, was to occupy his heart, his mind, and attention.

This time, when he placed a kiss on Loki's neck, it was with slightly more pressure. He planted the kiss right onto Loki's Adam's apple, and Loki inhaled sharply, his hands flying to grasp at Thor's shoulders in an iron grip. Worried that he had overstepped, Thor looked to him.

Loki’s eyes were tightly shut. A lonely tear broke free and slid down, disappearing into raven tresses on the pillow. Fear gripped Thor's heart, and he thumbed at the wet trail. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Loki whispered, though it sounded a little like a sob. He squeezed his eyes shut even more tightly, but no more tears escaped. His grip on Thor's shoulders loosened.

“Oh, love,” Thor murmured. He nosed his way down on Loki's neck again, leaving a lingering kiss on his pulse point.

This was the point of full commitment, he realised. The point of no return. There was no making U-turns after this. Not that he had planned on bailing on Loki after a kiss or two to begin with, but this, this was more than that. This was Loki entrusting Thor with-- with something so precious that Thor almost couldn't even comprehend the enormity of it.

No, he could: this was Loki showing that it wasn’t just Thor. This was Loki saying that there would be no making U-turns for either of them now.

So they made love instead.

 

 

 

“Oh, he allows neck-petting now?” Sif cooed, delighted, and reached to test it for herself.

She immediately snatched her hand back, now adorned with three bloody stripes.

“Only me, apparently,” Thor answered, trying not to sound too smug, fingers stroking idle lines in the softer than soft fur beneath his kitty's chin. Call him silly, but he was pleased to discover that even Sif had limits with Loki. That even in his cat form there was a part that Loki had reserved for Thor alone.

Loki rolled onto his back on Thor’s thighs, belly up and eyes slipping shut, and purred.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I hope not too many of you were looking forward to an actual confrontation with Thanos. As much as it would have been fun to put our boys out for Thanos' blood, that never was the focus of this fic. Thor and Loki's trials lay elsewhere this time. Besides, had I not left Thanos to SHIELD, they would have appeared terribly incompetent at their job. 
> 
> Speaking of SHIELD: up to this chapter it has been typed as 'Shield' in Thor's dialogue, because he didn't know it was an acronym. It's all capital from this chapter on because he learns the actual name after visiting their headquarters. I have not been changing the spelling at my whim, in case anyone had paid attention to that. :D


	11. Conclusion: Your Kitty and You – a Happy Coexistence

 

 

It was the golden part of autumn, Thor's favourite time of year: trees wore their festive cloaks of bright red and yellow, and though the air itself was crisp and nippy, the sun still shone frequently, spreading pleasant warmth on chilled cheeks. It was just the time for oversized warm sweaters and loose, fluffy scarves, and red-tipped noses peeking from their depths, just begging to be kissed. Or, well, one nose in particular. Thor had no interest in any other.

Loki huffed and buried the nose in question deeper into his scarf, but Thor knew it was only for show. Loki loved his kisses, and besides, Loki kept his hand in Thor's, bare fingers warm despite the breeze.

Two months had passed since Thanos had been captured in SHIELD's web – Thanos, and his most trusted allies. A trap had been laid in the latest base Thanos had rented from Thor's company, and, though it hadn't been without a fight, the web had finally closed around him. Frankly, Thor wasn't sure if SHIELD had imprisoned Thanos in their deepest dungeons, or if they had employed a more permanent solution to the threat he posed. Still, with the meticulousness SHIELD had been handling him, there was little chance of Thanos being a problem ever again. And, most importantly, Loki had seemed relieved on hearing the solution, and that was what mattered most.

Loki had been a little dazed for a few days after SHIELD had delivered the good news, but after that, things had settled into their places. Thor had been there with him when Loki had, for the first time in a year, stepped outside the door openly as himself. Loki had taken a deep breath, and then he had grabbed Thor's hand, and led him through the streets and the alleyways, until Thor had found himself in front of an unremarkable red-brick apartment building.

Loki had led him inside and up the stairs, and then produced a key from his pocket. With it he had opened the door to a completely ordinary apartment.

The entire flat had been covered in a thick layer of dust, preserved like the ruins of Pompeii, exactly in the same condition as it had been left on that fateful day when Loki had gone out and encountered Thanos. It had been fascinating, getting a glimpse of the life Loki had lived before it had so abruptly changed. As in, fascinating how normal it seemed. There had been two tall bookshelves full of completely ordinary books anyone could have bought in a regular book store, a half-made jigsaw puzzle in one corner on the floor, and all sorts of trinkets here and there. Two dead pot plants had stood withered on a windowsill in silent memorial, but one little cactus had, by some miracle, survived. Loki had cradled it against his chest when they had left.

Loki still kept his flat, for all the time he didn't spend there. There was no way to fit all of his stuff at Thor’s, though all of Loki's books had somehow migrated along with Loki himself. However, they had managed to cram in only one of Loki’s bookshelves, and so there were now books piled in every empty corner of their house. They were both keeping an idle eye on vacating apartments in the city, but no other steps towards cohabitation had been taken yet.

And they couldn't be taken, either, not before Thor had at least introduced his boyfriend to his father, and his friends. Odin would probably just shake his head at him if Thor had suddenly called him to tell that he had moved in with someone, but if Thor did the same to his friends before even introducing Loki to them, they would in all probability lacerate him. At least Sif would, verbally, and Val… Val might be quite literal about it.

That was the reason why he and Loki were out now, and probably why Loki was being both so cranky and clingy at the same time. He was sometimes a complicated creature like that, Thor’s Loki, simultaneously pushing Thor away and pulling him in when he was nervous.

Thor gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “It's going to be all right, Loki. There's nothing to be afraid of.”

“They will hate me,” Loki uttered, sullenly staring ahead as they made their way to Volstagg's house.

“No they won't. They'll adore you.”

“Fandral hates me.”

“You deliberately knocked over his wine glass over his white rug,” Thor pointed out, because Loki seemed to often drop that additional detail when he mentioned Fandral's dislike for him. Indeed, after the incident, it had been made clear that though Thor was always a welcome guest in Fandral's home, Loki had no more business there.

Loki sniffed. “Well, he shouldn’t have suggested ordering a birthday lap dance for you.”

Thor was inclined to agree, but thought it best to steer away from that line of conversation altogether, keeping instead to their original topic. “Besides, Fandral hates the cat you. A little. Not _you_ you _._ And he doesn't know that you're the cat you.”

Loki pursed his lips. “I admit that I was a little short-sighted with that rug. Now I'll have to do something else to make him forget that rug by the time we'll tell them the truth about me.”

Thor squeezed his hand again. “Better that you don't.”

They were getting close to their destination, and even Thor began feeling the tingles of nerves in his belly. He, too, desperately wanted his friends to get along with Loki. And though he and Loki had no plans of revealing the whole magic aspect to them anytime soon, sooner or later his friends were bound to realise that Loki and Thor's cat never were in the same space at the same time. While Loki could easily craft an illusion of a kitty, he would have to make sure to keep it out of everyone’s reach at all times, and all in all it wasn’t a sustainable solution.

But one step at a time; this first leap was the most important.

Loki scowled when Volstagg’s house came into view. “If Val as much as _glances_ at me wrong -”

“She won't,” Thor interrupted. Honestly, at this point she would probably just be relieved. Then he thought better about it and amended, “She might. But she's like that to everyone.”

They stopped in front of the two-storey brick house. Thor rang the doorbell and gave Loki one last reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry, Loki. They will all love you. I know it.”

Heavy footsteps sounded inside, someone's booming voice. A dog barked excitedly. Loki swallowed nervously, all the waspishness gone now that they were there.

“How are you so sure?”

“Easy,” Thor said and lifted Loki’s hand to his lips, planting a little kiss to his fingertips. “Because _I_ do.”

 

 *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we've reached the final page. I can only offer my most heartfelt gratitude to everyone for supporting me throughout this story by reading, kudo'ing, and commenting. It means a lot to me.
> 
> I might end up making a post on [my Dreamwidth](https://salakavala.dreamwidth.org/) about some details that didn't make it into this fic, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed. <3


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